Child  Study 


Groszttiatiti 


. 


c 


Southern  Branch 
of  the 

University  of  California 


Los  Angeles 


Form  L   I 


STATE  FORMAL  SCHOOL, 

UOS  RHOBUBS,  CRU. 

6  6  ?/ 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
date  stairmed  below 


MAY  4    1951 


A 


WORKING  SYSTEM 


OF 


CHILD  STUDY 

FOR    SCHOOLS 

BY 

MAXIMILIAN    P.    i:.    GROSZMANN,    Pd.  D. 


LATE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  THE  SCHOOLS  OP  ETHICAL 
CULTURE,  NEW  ZORK 


SYRACUSE,    N.    Y. 

C.  W.  BARDEEN,   PUBLISHER 

1897 


Copyright,  1<C'T.  bj    C.  W.  r.ardeen 


(p     ,       '   I 


. 


CONTEN 


Page 

Child  study 9 

The  new  pedagogy 10 

Empiric  facts 10 

The  larger  work 11 

At  the  Ethical  Culture  Schools 12 

Admission  of  pupils 12 

Variety  of  tests 13 

Class  teacher  and  specialist 15 

After  graduation 18 

Recording  of  reports 19 

Memoranda 19 

Pupils'  work 20 

Special  investigations 21 

In  art  work 23 

In  drawing 23 

In  sewing,  etc 23 

In  geometrical  construction 24 

In  carpentry  work 25 

In  shop-work 25 

Different  impressions  of  different  teachers 36 

Special  talents 27 

School  physicians 29 

Advantages  of  investigations 30 

Relation  of  health  to  conduct 32 

Interesting  cases 82,  34,  35,  36 

(v) 


VI  CHILD    STUDY    FOR   SCHOOLS 

Page 
The  period  of  pubescence 37 

Teachers'  and  parents'  meetings 38 

Home  reports 39 

Specimen  blanks 40,  41 

Specimen  reports 42-46 

Frequencies  of  reports 47 

General  summaries 49 

Difficulty  of  marking  subjects 50 

Report  from  the  director 51 

Competition 52 

Promotion 53 

Graduation 53 

Specimen  reports 55-68 

Conclusion 70 


CHILD  STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS 


A  Working  System  of  Child  Study  for  Schools 

Child  Study  is  a  new  term  for  an  old  thing,  a  term 
which  is  born  out  of  a  new  enthusiasm  for  educational 
advancement.  In  itself  it  is  nothing  new  or  startling. 
Ever  since  the  beginning  of  our  race,  every  mother  has 
been  a  student  of  child  nature, — more  or  less  intelli- 
gent, more  or  less  patient,  more  or  less  experienced 
and  tactful,  but  still  a  student.  So  is  every  true  edu- 
cator, every  teacher  ;  and,  indeed,  success  with  children 
at  home  and  in  school  has  been  commensurate  with  the 
efforts  and  intelligence  with  which  such  child-study 
was  pursued.  He  who  knew  and  understood  children 
best,  even  if  it  were  instinctively  only,  had  best  success 
as  a  parent  or  teacher. 

Not  even  our  modern  methods  in  this  field  are  alto- 
gether novel  ;  Pestalozzi  went  to  work  in  almost  exactly 
the  same  manner  which  is  now  suggested  by  child- 
students. 

No  doubt,  there  is  a  difference  between  the  old  prac- 
tice, and  the  new  ;  and  we  can  observe,  in  the  develop- 
ment of  this  new  science,  the  same  stages  as  in  the 
evolution  of  every  other  branch  of  human  endeavor. 
The.  empiricism  of  old  is  now  gradually  giving  place  to 
systematic  research,  and  a  scientific  method  of  Child 
Study  is -beginning  to  be  evolved.  Yet  it  is  still  an  art, 
at  least  in  its  direct  application  to  living  children,  pre- 

(9) 


10  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

cisely  as'medicine,  notwithstanding  its  having  achieved 
the  dignity  of  a  science,  still  depends  largely  upon  the 
art  and  skill  of  the  practitioner.  But,  surely,  the 
scientific  stimulus,  or  check,  will  save  the  practical 
physician,  and  teacher,  from  falling  into  routine. 

The  new  pedagogy  must  be  based  upon  child-study 
— this  dictum  is  very  true,  indeed.  But  it  must  not 
be  misunderstood.  If  we  have  to  wait  until  the  results 
of  all  the  new  researches  into  the  nature  of  the  child 
have  been  embodied  in  bulky  tomes  of  scientific  termin- 
ology, to  make  the  new  pedagogy,  then  long  years  will 
have  to  pass.  But  there  is  so  much  material  at  hand 
that  can  be  used  without  waiting  for  codification  and 
enrichment,  that  the  new  education  can  begin  immedi- 
ately. If  we  make  conscientious  use  of  what  we 
already  know  of  the  child,  we  can  reform  education 
pretty  thoroughly. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  ask  so  many  sets  of  questions  of 
so  many  thousand  children,  or  parents,  or  teachers 
record  the  answers,  and  draw  conclusions,  to  demon- 
strate that  children  are  imaginative,  or  imitative,  or 
that  fear  is  a  bad  incentive,  etc.  All  these  investiga- 
tions are  indeed  very  necessary,  and  those  who  under- 
take this  noble  work  will  gradually  build  up  a  science 
of  child  nature.  But  in  a  general  way,  we  are  already 
familiar  with  the  life  conditions  of  a  child,  and  with 
the  development  of  his  mind.  Only  let  us  make  intelli- 
gent use  of  this  knowledge  which  centuries  of  educa- 
tional evolution  have  supplied,  but  which  has  only' too 
often  been  disregarded  in  homes  and  schools. 

Empiric  facts. — As  to  these  empiric  facts  of  child 
study   and    their  intelligent  and  conscientious  use  in 


EMPIRIC    FACTS  11 

education,  a  comparison  with  other  classes  of  empiric 
experience  will  make  our  point  clearer.  It  has,  for 
instance,  been  known  to  everyone  since  the  beginning 
of  the  time  when  society  was  disintegrated  into  differ- 
ent classes,  that  the  poor  are  badly  housed  ;  that  there 
is  overcrowding  in  their  wretched  quarters,  and  lack  of 
air  and  light ;  that  often  the  most  essential  require- 
ments of  hygiene  are  sorely  neglected  in  the  tenement 
house  districts,  that  hundreds  of  thousands  suffer  from 
cold  in  winter,  lack  of  ventilation  in  summer,  and  want 
of  proper  nourishment  throughout  the  year.  The 
statistics  published  lately  by  persons  and  bodies  inter- 
ested in  the  improvement  of  the  life  conditions  of  the 
pariahs  of  society,  reveal  hardly  any  new  facts  ;  but 
they  expose  to  the  public  eye  the  full  horror  of  these 
conditions  against  which  selfishness  has  shut  the  eyes 
of  men  who  did  not  want  to  see.  This  new  work  of 
the  social  reformists  is  nothing  but  a  new  appeal, 
formidable,  because  unescapable,  to  the  conscience  of 
those  classes  upon  whose  good-will  social  reform  mainly 
depends. 

Likewise,  modern  Child  Study  derives  its  principal 
value  from  the  fact  that  it  is,  at  its  best,  a  new  appeal 
to  the  conscience  of  parents  and  teachers  in  behalf  of 
the  helpless  child  whose  fate  in  life  will  be  largely 
determined  by  their  educational  efforts. 

The  larger  work  along  this  new  line  of  pedagogical 
activity — the  collection  of  numerous  data,  their  syste- 
matic arrangement,  and  the  drawing  of  general  con- 
clusions— must  be  left  to  specialists  in  colleges  and 
universities.  Teachers  and  parents  can  help  them,  and 
must  help  them,  by  furnishing  data;  but  their  own  work 


12  CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

is  one  of  a  different  character.  It  will  be  their  special 
aim  and  privilege — not  to  draw  hasty  conclusions  and 
make  rash  generalizations  on  the  basis  of  the  scanty 
material  which  is  at  their  individual  disposal,  but  to 
become  more  intimately  acquainted  with  the  individual 
children  for  whose  future  usefulness  and  happiness 
they  are  directly  responsible.  Such  work,  indeed,  must 
be  undertaken  in  all  seriousness  in  each  home  and 
school,  and  must  be  done  systematically,  and  with  the 
combined  efforts  of  all  those  who  are  in  any  way  con- 
cerned in  the  education  of  any  particular  child.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  the  results  of  scientific  research  and 
generalization,  fragmentary  as  they  may  be,  will  be 
found  most  helpful  and  really  indispensable  in  studying 
individual  children. 

At  the  Ethical  Culture  Schools.— In  order  to  illus- 
trate in  what  manner  such  systematic  study  of  individual 
pupils  for  educational  purposes  may  be  undertaken  in 
a  school,  the  writer  may  be  permitted  to  call  attention 
to  the  efforts  made  under  his  direction  in  the  Ethical 
Culture  Schools  of  New  York  city.  Of  course,  there 
may  be  many  other  and  better  ways  of  pursuing  this 
work  ;  but  it  may  be  helpful  to  many  to  learn  in  detail 
of  a  working  system,  permeating  all  departments  of 
instruction  and  discipline,  that  has  been  elaborated  and 
successfully  operated  in  at  least  one  institution. 

Admission  of  pupils. — As  the  institution  of  which 
the  writer  is  speaking  differs  essentially  from  most  other 
schools,  in  the  scope  of  its  course  of  instruction, 
and  its  methods  of  procedure,  as  well  as  in  the  spirit  in 
which  the  work  is  undertaken,  it  is  plain  that  there 
exist  no  classes  absolutely  or  even  approximately  par- 


AT   THE    ETHICAL    CULTURE    SCHOOLS  13 

allel  to  those  elsewhere.  When  a  child  applies  for 
admission,  therefore,  it  is  not  easy  to  grade  him  prop- 
erly, as  in  each  class  of  this  institution  there  are  several 
studies  taught  with  which  few  applicants  are  familiar, 
and  others  which  are  treated  in  a  manner  different 
from  the  one  to  which  the  pupil  is  accustomed. 

The  only  thing  to  be  done,  then,  is  to  place  the  child 
in  a  class  which  approximately  corresponds  to  his  general 
preparation,  and  degree  of  maturity.  He  will  thus 
have  an  opportunity  to  show  to  what  extent  he  can 
adapt  himself  to  the  nature  of  the  work  there,  whether 
he  is  fit  to  continue,  whether  he  must  be  re-graded,  or 
whether  admission  must  be  denied  him  on  grounds  of 
mental  or  moral  unfitness.  This  period  of  trial  extends 
over  one  or  several  weeks,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  during 
this  time  the  teachers  carefully  watch  the  pupil  so  as  to 
be  able  to  form  a  judgment,  tentatively  at  least.  On 
the  basis  of  their  reports,  the  case  is  decided. 

Tariety  of  tests. — This  method  of  testing  the  child 
commends  itself  as  more  satisfactory  than  any  other, 
especially  for  the  reason  that  the  course  of  study  in  this 
school,  which  has  been  for  many  years  a  pioneer  insti- 
tution and  experimental  station  of  modern  pedagogy,  is 
much  more  complete  than  it  is  ordinarily  found.  It  com- 
prises, beside  the  so-called  ordinary  branches,  manual 
training,  art  work,  elementary  natural  science,  etc.,  in 
a  system  peculiar  to  the  Ethical  Culture  Schools,  and  all 
branches  are  taught  in  a  manner  intended  to  appeal  to 
the  pupil's  own  activity,  and  to  develop  his  individuality 
unhampered  by  convention  and  coercion.  Apart  from 
their  general  educational  value,  these  different  branches 
represent  so  many  tests  by  means  of  which  the  child's 


14  CHILD  STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS 

nature  can  be  probed  and  his  best  abilities  discovered. 

There  are  few  children  that  cannot  do  something 
well ;  and  while  some  may  never  succeed  in  learning  to 
master  spelling  or  the  rules  of  partial  payment,  they 
may  show  constructive  ability  in  the  shop,  or  power  of 
research  in  the  laboratory,  or  talent  in  the  line  of  artis- 
tic creativeness.  As  soon  as  the  point  of  vantage— that 
is  the  work  that  commands  his  supreme  interest — is 
found,  each  child,  unless  abnormally  deficient,  can 
be  reached,  and  even  be  made  to  develop  along  lines 
which  are  beset  with  difficulties. 

It  is  only  by  means  of  a  course  of  study  which  repre- 
sents approximately  all  kinds  of  human  activity  and 
interest,  that  all  normally  capable  children  can  be 
reached,  and  that  those  among  them  can  be  redeemed 
who  would  be  in  danger  of  mental  or  moral  atrophy 
under  a  one-sided  educational  regimen.  For  it  must 
be  emphasized  again  and  again— trite  as  the  saying 
may  seem— that  each  child  is  after  all  a  unit,  with  ten- 
dencies and  capabilities  peculiar  to  itself  ;  and  that  all 
children  are  not  tit  to  be  reduced  to  the  same  kind  of 
common  stuff  in  one  universal  grind-mill. 

Such  variety  of  tests  will  give  a  chance  to  the  pupil, 
who  lias  been  admitted  on  trial  in  a  class.  Something 
will  surely  appeal  to  him,  and  reveal  his  power.  And  this 
revelation  will  come  the  sooner,  as  the  different  tests 
will  be  applied  by  different  individuals;  for  into  the 
class  teacher  system  there  is  infused  a  goodly  dose  of 
specialist  work.  While  in  the  lowest  grades,  the  class 
teacher  does  almost  all  of  the  teaching,  with  a  very 
small  proportion  of  specialist  work  admixed  to  it,  the 
arrangement   in    the   upper  grades   is   such   that   the 


CLASS     TEACHERS   AND    SPECIALISTS  15 

teachers,  though  each  presiding  over  a  special  class,  do 
individually  such  work  in  different  classes  for  which 
they  are  most  fitted.  There  are  also  a  few  special 
teachers  who  are  not  at  the  same  time  class  teachers, 
but  are  in  charge  of  rooms  devoted  to  special  work, 
such  as  the  Studio,  the  Shop,  and  the  Laboratory. 
The  aim  has  been  to  combine  the  best  features  of  the 
class  teacher  system  with  those  of  the  specialization  of 
instruction. 

As  the  sizing  up  of  a  child's  individuality  by  several 
individual  observers  who  represent  each  a  different 
educational  influence,  seems  of  great  importance  in  a 
system  of  child  study  in  a  school,  and  as  it  forms  an 
essential  feature  of  this  work  in  the  institution  whose 
system  is  here  presented,  it  will  be  pardonable  to  digress 
briefly  on  the  value  of  this  scheme  for  a  better  under- 
standing of  the  child  at  school. 

Class  teacher  and  Specialist. — It  has  been  claimed 
that  only  the  class  teacher  has  an  adequate  opportunity 
to  study  children  to  advantage,  and  to  bring  a  powerful 
moral  influence  to  bear  on  the  child,  while  under  a  sys- 
tem of  specialist  instruction,  attention  and  influence  are 
scattered.  The  class  teacher,  it  is  said,  has  fewer  chil- 
dren to  observe,  and  more  time  and  occasion  for  obser- 
vation. 

This  argument  impresses  one  as  delusive.  A  compe- 
tent observer  will  not  need  to  be  in  constant  contact 
with  a  child  to  judge  correctly.  On  the  contrary,  con- 
stant association  with  people  dulls  our  sensibility  towards 
many  traits  which  are  indeed  noteworthy,  simply  because 
we  get  used  to  them,  just  as  we  cease  to  be  aware  of 
the  ticking  of  a  clock   in  our  room  if  this  continues 


16  CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

daily.  Among  educators  is  it  not  fully  understood  that 
even  well  educated  parents  often  know  much  less  of 
their  children  than  an  intelligent  teacher,  even  though 
the  parent's  appears  to  be  the  larger  opportunity  ? 

What  advantage  there  is  in  a  longer  period  of  obser- 
vation, extending  through  successive  stages  of  develop- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  child  whose  manifestations  will 
really  appear  to  change  with  the  years,  revealing  now 
this  and  now  another  characteristic — is  indeed  the 
specialist's  opportunity,  as  he  will  meet  the  pupil  for 
several  years  in  his  advance  through  different  classes, 
thus  observing  these  various  phases  of  externalization 
of  the  child's  psyche. 

If,  then,  it  be  suggested  that  the  class  teacher  should 
be  promoted  with  the  child  through  successive  classes, 
several  serious  objections  present  themselves.  The 
teacher  has  as  much  an  individuality  of  his  or  her  own 
as  the  child.  Who  will  warrant  that  the  two  individu- 
alities will  fit  together  and  will  establish  a  harmonious 
relation  ?  Even  if  there  be  a  sympathetic  bond,  one  of 
mutual  love  and  respect,  the  influence  which  the  teacher 
will  exert  over  the  pupil  may  not  in  every  instance  be 
altogether  wholesome  if  it  be  exclusive. 

For  even  the  best  teacher  is  one-sided  ;  in  fact  her 
very  strength  will  depend  on  her  predominant  interest. 
Even  the  best  teacher,  then,  has  preferences  and  dis- 
likes ;  and  the  stronger  her  personality,  the  greater  is 
the  danger  that  she  will  subjugate  the  child's  individual- 
ity and  impress  her  own  nature  on  the  child.  And  that  is 
wrong,  be  her  nature  ever  so  noble,  for  it  is  the  child's 
birthright  to  preserve  his  own  personality.  The  seem- 
ing paradox  of  Dr.  Harris,  "  Of  course  the  teacher  must 


CLASS    TEACHERS   AND   SPECIALISTS  17 

be  an  example,  but  she  should  be  careful  that  no  one 
follows  her",  contains  a  great  truth*. 

At  best,  in  the  points  of  intellectual  or  moral  con- 
tact between  teacher  and  pupil,  exaggerated  enthusiasm, 
bordering  on  sentimentality,  will  be  developed,  while 
other  faculties  of  the  pupil's  soul  may  become  stultified 
from  lack  of  stimulation. 

But  are  there  not  instances  only  too  numerous  when 
pupil  and  teacher  did  not  understand  each  other  ? 
When  two  opposite  natures  were  thrown  together  ? 
Each  teacher  will  estimate  a  child  from  her  own  point 
of  view  ;  for  the  truly  generous  and  impartial  judges 
are  few  and  far  between  ;  and  this  individual  point  of 
view  may  be,  and  is  in  many  cases,  even  with  very  con- 
scientious teachers,  the  source  of  much  unintended  and 
unconscious  injustice  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  unhappi- 
ness  and  perversion  on  the  other. 

Here  Again,  in  the  point  of  ill-contact,  exaggera- 
tions of  faults  and  peculiarities,  sometimes  bordering 
on  mutual  hatred,  will  be  the  natural  consequence,  aud 
pupil  and  teacher  will  be  unable  to  "get  along"  with  one 
another.  If  a  pupil  were  doomed  to  be  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  teacher  whose  sympathies  and  appreciation  are 
not  with  him,  for  even  more  than  a  class  term,  his  whole 
nature  might  become  distorted  and  his  fate  put  to  hazard; 
at  least  he  could  not  develop  his  own  best  qualities  and 
thrive  healthily.  If  such  direction  is  exclusive,  even 
the  shortest  period  of  influence  is  too  long. 

It  is  altogether  different  when  the  child  comes  in 
contact  with  more  than  one  teacher  simultaneously,  all 

*  School  Journal  (New  York)  August  ■::<.  1834. 


18  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

of  them  representing  different  activities,  tendencies, 
and  moral  and  mental  attitudes,  temperaments,  and 
ideals,  each  of  them  carrying  with  her  a  different  atmos- 
phere of  human  thought  and  reaction.  Then  the  child 
will  be  observed  from  more  than  one  standpoint ;  and  if 
care  is  taken  that  there  is  an  exchange  of  opinion  and  a 
comparison  of  notes  under  systematic  direction,  the 
child  will,  to  the  minds  of  the  observers,  stand  out  in 
bold  relief,  as  it  were,  in  his  complete  bodiliness.  The 
observations  of  one  will  be  supplemented,  and  perhaps 
corrected,  by  the  others,  and  a  juster  appreciation  of 
the  child's  real  nature  is  possible  than  by  any  other 
method. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  first  reports  from  the 
different  teachers  on  a  pupil  placed  on  trial  in  a  class, 
will  really  be  of  value  in  determining  his  place  in  school. 

After  gradation. —  When  the  pupil  is  once  definite- 
ly graded  the  reports  from  all  the  teachers  are  continued, 
at  irregular  intervals,  as  often  as  anything  impresses  the 
observer  as  noteworthy,  or  whenever  puzzling  develop- 
ments occur,  or  in  case  special  reports  are  requested. 
Each  report  is  written  on  a  special  card  and  handed  to 
the  director  of  the  school,  who  carefully  reads  and 
eventually  annotates  it.  Some  reports  may  then  be 
referred  back  to  the  teachers  who  wrote  them,  for  fur- 
ther investigation  ;  or  to  another  whose  attention  the 
director  wishes  to  call  to  certain  interesting  facts  which 
may  require  special  cooperation.  Other  reports  are 
otherwise  referred,  or  talked  over  with  the  pupils 
directly,  or  with  the  parents,  etc.  Then  they  are 
filed. 


REPOKT    CARDS  19 

Recording  of  reports.— For  this  purpose  there  is 
a  large  cabinet  (card  catalogue  file),  with  a  special 
drawer  for  each  class,  where  the  pupils'  cards  are  al- 
phabetically arranged.  For  each  pupil  there  is  a  blue 
guide  card,  on  which  his  name,  date  of  birth,  parents' 
name  and  nationality,  address,  the  schools  he  has 
attended,  and  other  information  obtained  from  his 
application  blank,  are  carefully  written  down.  The 
report  cards  themselves  are  of  handy  size,  white  for  the 
boys,  and  buff  for  the  girls.  On  each  card,  space  is 
left  for  the  name  of  the  pupil,  name  of  the  reporting 
teacher  and  the  date  of  the  report.  Each  is  perforated, 
and  a  removable  rod  fastens  all  the  cards  of  a  class 
together  in  one  compartment.  Each  set  can  so  be  read 
easily,  like  the  pages  of  a  book,  and  the  entire  set,  or 
the  cards  of  a  particular  child,  or  a  single  card,  can  be 
conveniently  removed  for  reference,  annotation,  or 
rearrangement.  All  special  reports,  detention  slips, 
and  home  reports  are  so  arranged  that  they  can  be  filed 
chronologically  with  the  other  report  cards  of  the 
children. 

Memoranda. — In  addition  to  these  card  reports, 
there  are  kept  on  file  copies  of  letters  to  and  from  par- 
ents ;  newspaper  clippings  which  happen  to  give  infor- 
mation of  a  pupil  or  his  family  ;  samples  of  the  pupils' 
work,  etc.  Special  reports  on  the  entire  grades  are 
also  handed  in  by  the  different  teachers,  classifying  the 
children  under  convenient  heads  a3  regards  their  talents 
and  deficiencies. 

The  following  headings  have  so  far  suggested  them- 
selves : 


20  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

(1)  Defects  of  hearing,  (16)  Lack  of  concentration, 

0>)  Defects  nf  si^ht,  (17)  Progressing  (mentally), 

(3)  Defects  of  speech,  (18)  Retarded  development, 

(4)  Ear-mindedness,  (19)  Leaders, 

(5)  Eye-mindedness,  (20)  Imitators, 
r,    Literary  talent,  (21)  Neutral, 

;    Manual  efficiency,  ■'■'    Morally  deficient, 

(8)  Artistic  nature,  (28)  Prigs, 

(9)  Observant  children,  (24)  impulsive, 
(10)  Growing  (physically),  (25)  Passive, 
ill)  Retarded  growth,  (26)  Obstinate, 
(12)  ll.-althy.  (27  i  Lazy, 

(18)  Delicate.  38)  Bad  spellers, 

ill.  Nervous,  (29)  Musical, 

(15)  Attentive,  (80)  Peculiar  or  exceptional. 

A  chart  with  all  the  children  of  a  class  grouped  under 
these  heads,  or  a  set  of  such  charts,  made  up  by  the 
different  teachers  of  a  class  in  this  way,  will  prove  ex- 
ceedingly helpful  in  matters  of  individualizing  instruc- 
tion and  discipline.  Of  course,  owing  to  the  variations 
and  fluctuations  in  a  child's  development,  new  charts  of 
this  kind  will  have  to  be  written  out  from  time  to  time 
to  follow  up  these  periodical  changes.  Of  the  medical 
records  which  supplement  all  this  work,  mention  will 
be  made  later.  Special  notes  are  also  kept  of  the  obser- 
vations which  the  care-takers  make  during  the  games 
at  recesses,  during  the  regular  excursions  which  are 
undertaken  to  the  museums,  parks,  etc.,  and  on  vaca- 
tion trips  to  the  country  in  summer,  arranged  for  groups 
of  children  by  the  school,  as  then,  in  view  of  the  greater 
freedom  the  children  enjoy  on  such  occasions,  much  of 
the  otherwise  hidden  portion  of  their  nature  will  be 
revealed. 

Pupils'  work. — Then  there  is,  for  handy  reference, 
kept  on  file  a  collection  of  pupils'  work  in  all  depart- 
ments, filed  monthly  in  cabinets  arranged  for  this  pur- 


PUPILSJ    WORK  21 

pose  :  compositions,  mathematical  exercises,  drawings, 
models,  reports  on  scientific  experiments,  samples  of 
manual  work,  etc.  All  of  these  specimens  are  carefully 
studied  and  compared,  not  only  in  order  to  control  the 
work  of  the  school  in  general,  but  specifically  with  a 
view  of  ascertaining  the  peculiar  condition  of  each 
pupil  along  these  different  lines  of  his  activity. 

Some  of  the  compositions  are  so  devised  as  to  give  par- 
ticular information,  very  much  like  the  tests  made  on 
large  numbers  of  children  by  child-students  ;  but  while 
these  latter  are  intended  to  yield  general  results,  the 
tests  here  referred  to  aim  at  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
individual  child.  Among  the  themes  given  out  in  this 
way  are  the  following  :  descriptions  of  favorite  char- 
acters in  fiction  ;  description  of  real  persons  as  met  in 
the  streets,  at  home,  etc.  (the  milkman,  the  grocer,  and 
the  like)  ;  The  first  thing  I  remember  ;  What  I  want  to 
do  during  vacation  ;  What  I  hope  to  do  when  I  am 
grown  up. 

Special  investigations  are  made  from  time  to  time, 
mainly  with  a  view  to  obtain  such  information  as  will 
help  in  determining  the  principles  upon  which  a  rational 
course  of  study  can  be  based.  Thus,  data  have  been 
collected  with  reference  to  the  problem  as  to  whether 
hoys  and  girls  should  be  given  the  same  hind  of  work  in 
manual  training.  Some  of  the  results  were  summed 
up  by  the  writer  elsewhere*,  and  he  may  be  permitted 
to  quote  some  of  the  more  generally  interesting  state- 
ments : 

"The  work   of   the   boys   is   stronger,  firmer,  more 

*  Teachers'  College  Bulletin  (New  York),  March,  1896. 


22  CHILD    STUDY     FOR    SCHOOLS 

practical ;  my  theory  is  that  they  possess  a  better  appre- 
ciation of  shape  and  purpose,  and  that  they  show  more 
originality.  The  girls,  however,  do  neater  work,  more 
accurate  in  details,  more  artistic  or  more  decorative, 
while  they  are  less  constructive  and  somewhat  weaker 
in  execution. 

"  Without  wishing  to  base  large  generalizations  on 
these  few  facts,  I  feel  safe  in  saying,  even  at  this  early 
stage  of  investigation,  that  they  seem  to  prove  a  differ- 
entiation of  aptitudes  in  the  two  sexes,  even  in  young 
children.  This  differentiation  is  determined  by  two 
factors  :  First,  the  sphere  of  interest.  This  being  some- 
what different  in  boys  from  what  it  is  in  girls,  it  would 
seem  natural  that  their  manner  of  work  should  vary 
accordingly.  Second,  the  difference  of  physical  strength. 
Practical  teachers  know  that  in  many  instances  the 
physical  strength  necessary  for  doing  any  kind  of 
manual  work  is  a  matter  of  very  slow  growth  in  both 
sexes,  and  that  things  which  appear  to  be  easy  for  older 
children  are  often  very  difficult  for  children  of  six, 
seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  from  lack  both  of  strength, 
and  of  power  of  concentrated  attention  and  co-ordinated 
muscular  activity.  Considering  that  the  physical  de- 
velopment of  boys  differs  from  that  of  girls  in  point 
of  strength  and  concentration,  it  seems  only  natural 
that  their  work  will  be  largely  influenced  by  these  con- 
ditions. 

"  On  the  basis  of  these  observations  I  will  venture  to 
outline  a  few  practical  suggestions  which,  it  seems  to 
me,  ought  to  be  considered  in  arranging  the  course  of 
study  in  schools  where  manual  training  has  been  intro- 
duced. 


SPECIAL     INVESTIGATIONS  33 

"  (1)  In  art  work  it  does  not  seem  necessary  to  make 
much  difference  between  the  two  sexes,  at  least  in 
elementary  grades.  There  should  be  some  kind  of 
difference  made  in  the  higher  grades,  but  what  its 
character  should  be  is  as  yet  difficult  to  determine.  I 
have  found  that  the  boys  select  more  characteristic 
models  for  modeling  ;  for  instance,  that  they  desire  to 
model  strong  features,  faces  of  a  decided  character, 
while  even  here  the  girls  prefer  decorative  models.  But 
to  what  an  extent  a  general  statement  can  be  made  on 
this  basis  appears  doubtful  at  the  present  time. 

"  (2)  Even  with  regard  to  constructive  drawing 
(geometrical  and  architectural  drawing)  it  seems  that 
little  difference  between  boys  and  girls  need  be  made. 
The  observations  of  our  teacher  of  mechanical  drawing 
have  shown  that  in  this  branch  the  girls  are  apt  to  do 
very  neat  and  accurate  work. 

"  (3)  As  to  sewing  and  the  domestic  arts  in  general, 
it  appears  advisable  to  confine  that  work  largely  to  the 
girls,  in  the  first  place  because  the  home  constitutes 
the  principal  sphere  of  interest  for  women,  and  secondly, 
because  the  work  in  the  domestic  arts  requires  relatively 
less  physical  strength  than  the  work  of  the  shop.  Boys, 
especially  the  older  ones,  take  very  little  interest  in 
work  which  does  not  require  the  application  of  their 
full  strength.  Nevertheless  they  should  not  be  excluded 
from  sewing.  In  the  two  lowest  grades  of  this  school 
at  least,  the  interest  of  the  boys  in  this  work  is  indeed 
equal  to  that  of  the  girls.  Later  on  the  boys  do  not 
care  for  the  same  work  in  sewing  as  the  girls,  but  it  is 
likely  that  their  interest  would  be  aroused  by  giving 
them — as  has  been  done  in  some  places — tents,  or  sails 


24  CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

for  sail-boats,  to  sew  ;  in  other  words,  such  tasks  as 
would  fall  within  the  limits  of  their  natural  sphere  of 
interest. 

"  (4)  In  geometrical  construction  proper,  I  see  no 
reason  why  boys  and  girls  should  not  do  exactly  the 
same  work.  For  instance,  in  card-board  geometry  and 
the  combination  of  geometrical  solids  into  models  of 
engineering-work  (work  done  in  the  Ethical  Culture 
schools) — I  cannot  see  why  girls  could  not  do  as  well  as 
boys.  In  fact,  the  girls  should  be  given  an  opportunity 
of  learning  as  much  as  they  can  of  machines,  because 
even  in  every-day  life  a  woman  will  be  brought  into 
contact  with  a  great  many  problems  requiring  such 
knowledge.  It  is  not  only  the  sewing  machine  and  the 
boiler  in  the  kitchen,  but  a  great  many  other  mechani- 
cal contrivances  with  which  a  modern  girl  has  need  of 
becoming  thoroughly  familiar  for  her  performing  in 
the  best  manner  the  duties  which  will  confront  her  in 
ordinary  life.  We  may  hope  that  then  a  woman  will 
herself  create  a  number  of  labor-saving  contrivances  the 
need  of  which  is  even  now  keenly  felt  in  every  house- 
hold. 

"  (5)  Regarding  other  constructive  work,  almost  the 
only  kind  ajiplicable  in  the  girls'  classes  appears  to  be 
the  elementary  carpentry  ivork  which  we  do  in  our 
lower  grades.  In  the  past,  girls  have  done  too  little 
constructive  work  along  these  lines  ;  women  who  have 
had  a  good  chance  of  doing  some  work  of  this  character 
with  their  brothers  when  they  were  young,  have  told 
me  how  much  they  were  benefited  by  it.  Girls  might 
well  learn  to  make  some  familiar  articles  of  wood  and 
wire,  as  furniture  for  dolls'  houses  and  the  like,  and  it 


SPECIAL   INVESTIGATIONS  s!5 

does  not  seem  at  all  necessary  to  separate  boys  and  girls 
in  this  work. 

"  In  addition  to  this  it  appears  advisable  that  a  small 
quantity  of  real  shop-work  should  be  given  to  girls. 
Simple  hammering,  the  driving  of  nails,  is  an  art  which 
many  a  woman  would  learn  to  great  advantage.  Then 
artistic  wood-carving,  provided  the  wood  which  is  used 
is  light  enough  so  that  it  does  not  require  too  much 
physical  strength,  seems  to  be  quite  in  the  line  of  girls, 
while  the  more  difficult  and  heavier  carpentering  and 
metal  work  is  fitly  reserved  for  the  boys. 

"  The  question  whether  different  kinds  of  work  should 
be  given  to  boys  and  girls,  is  merely  a  part  of  a  much 
larger  problem  regarding  which  we  as  yet  know  very 
little.  The  larger  problem  is  the  study  of  sexual  differ- 
ences, both  physiological  and  psychological,  between 
boys  and  girls.  At  the  present  time,  when  the  woman's 
question  is  receiving  such  large  attention  from  all  points 
of  view,  when  the  claim  is  advanced  that  there  is  practi- 
cally no  difference  between  man  and  woman,  the  prob- 
lem whether  there  is  any  such  difference,  and  how  early 
and  in  what  direction  it  asserts  itself,  becomes  more 
and  more  urgent.  It  has  been  shown  that  in  the  period 
of  adolescence,  at  any  rate,  boys  and  girls  do  differentiate 
to  such  an  extent  that  not  only  their  manual  work  but 
the  whole  range  of  their  activities  as  well  as  their  treat- 
ment should  in  some  way  be  different.  Many  questions 
have  been  proposed  in  regard  to  this  problem,  many 
experiments  have  been  made,  and  many  tests  have  been 
introduced  ;  and  yet  we  are  at  the  present  time  almost 
as  ignorant  with  regard  to  it  as  we  were  ten  years  ago." 


26  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

How  differently  children  impress  the  different 
teachers,  becomes  very  evident  from  these  reports. 
There  is  the  case  of  a  boy  whose  power  of  memory  was 
reported  very  weak  by  one,  very  strong  by  another 
teacher.  The  former  was  teacher  of  history,  the  latter, 
of  natural  science.  It  came  out  that  in  history,  the 
boy's  mechanical  memory,  the  learning  of  dates,  had 
been  referred  to — and  that  was  his  weak  point,  while 
he  could  well  remember  the  sequence  of  experimental 
tests  in  laboratory  work.  Contrasting  the  reports  on  a 
few  other  children,  we  have  the  following  : 

A  girl  :  thought  excessively  dull  by  one,  only  shy  by 
another  teacher. 

A  girl :  Coarse  with  one,  fine  emotions  with  another. 

A  boy  :  Shy  in  the  presence  of  one,  insolent  to  an- 
other. 

A  boy  :  dignified,  respectful,  and  respected  according 
to  the  reports  of  one  ;  full  of  mischief — he,  with  two 
other  boys,  always  the  source  of  any  class  disorder,  with 
another. 

A  boy  :  Easily  controlled  by  one  ;  uncontrollable  and 
demoralizing  in  the  lessons  of  another. 

Of  course,  these  contradictory  statements  are  indica- 
tive of  the  different  conditions  under  which  the  pupil 
is  observed  ;  also  of  the  effect  of  the  personality  or  the 
efficiency  of  the  teacher,  of  the  class  atmosphere,  the 
character  of  the  work,  etc.,  and  re-adjustment  is  needed 
which  will  become  possible  through  a  frank  exchange 
of  opinions  on  the  part  of  the  teachers. 

A  similar  discrepancy  may  be  observed  with  regard 
to  the  child's  attitude  at  home  and  in  school.     It  is  quite 


SPECIAL    TALENTS  27 

instructive  to  contrast  the  reports  of  parents  with  those 
of  the  teachers  as  preserved  in  these  records.  Following 
are  a  few  examples  : — 
Child  as  reported  from  home  Child  in  school 

conscientious,  careless. 

brilliant,  well  meaning,  but  backward 

and  rather  dull. 

full  of  application,  lacking  application. 

depraved  (!)  very  good  and  reliable. 

passionate,  self-controlled. 

It  may  seem  difficult  to  harmonize  such  diametrically 
opposed  statements,  and  yet  they  indicate  nothing  but 
different  reactions  of  the  child  upon  different  environ- 
ments, and  if  studied  with  a  satisfactory  knowledge  of 
the  determining  factors,  they  will  serve  to  illuminate 
the  secret  recesses  of  the  child  soul,  and  lead  towards  a 
better  understanding  of  its  needs. 

Special  talents. — The  discovery  of  special  talents 
with  the  help  of  the  diversified  course  of  study,  and  of 
the  special  teachers  as  the  representatives  of  the  mani- 
fold human  activities,  has  been  alluded  to  above.  Artis- 
tic natures  among  children  are  perhaps  most  benefited 
by  this  course,  as  they  in  consequence  of  their  artistic 
temperament,  often  cut  an  awkward  figure  among  their 
comrades. 

There  is  the  case  of  a  poor  boy,  E.,  now  eleven,  who 
is  rather  small  for  his  age,  restless,  mischievous,  often 
in  trouble — a  weak  nature.  His  work  in  the  ordinary 
branches  is  on  the  whole  satisfactory,  but  he  is  inexact 
in  manual  execution  ;  gifted,  however,  beyond  the  ordin- 
ary in  art. 


28  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

Another  boy,  now  fifteen,  is  the  nephew  of  a  well- 
known  author,  and  the  inherited  talent  manifests  itself 
in  him  in  the  direction  of  artistic  ability.  The  boy  is 
really  a  remarkable  painter,  considering  his  age,  with  a 
most  wonderful  feeling  for  beauty  of  form  and  color. 
But  there  is  a  peculiar  absence  of  steadiness,  evenness, 
and  "zielbewusstsein".  The  boy  is  thoroughly  bohe- 
mian  in  nature — he  is  interesting,  but  weak.  His  liter- 
ary compositions  vary  from  excellent  to  poor.  He  is 
bright  in  mathematics,  but,  like  an  older  sister  who  was 
formerly  a  pupil  of  the  school,  he  often  lacks  impetus 
in  his  ordinary  work. 

A  peculiar  case  was  that  of  a  girl  whose  physique  was 
as  heavy  as  her  mind.  She  Avas  apparently  very  dull 
and  more  than  once  a  candidate  for  dismissal.  She 
was  decidedly  non-linguistic  and  non-literary ;  gram- 
mar and  composition  were  utterly  beyond  her.  But 
she  showed  astonishing  reasoning  power  in  the  discus- 
sion of  historical  and  ethical  questions.  On  the  manual 
side,  she  was  particularly  good  in  the  millinery  work  of 
the  Seventh  Grade,  and  finally  developed  a  most  start- 
ling efficiency  in  designing.  As  she  had  reached  her 
sixteenth  year,  she  was  withdrawn  and  put  to  work  with 
a  milliner;  her  case  was  certainly  interesting,  showing 
slow  development  and  unexpected  possibilities. 

There  are  many  children  who  manifest  from  the 
kindergarten  up  decided  manual  tendencies,  combined 
with  inefficiency  in  linguistic  expression  and  logical 
reasoning.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  such  whose 
power  of  expression  is  pre-eminently  of  a  literary  nature  ; 
whose  thoughts  soar  up  to  heights  of  abstract  problems, 
while  they  are   awkward,    and   often   a   total  failure, 


SCHOOL   PHYSICIANS  29 

whenever  their  hauds  are  employed.  While  education 
will  take  advantage  of  these  indications  of  supreme  in- 
terest, it  will  become  necessary  to  make  attempts,  at 
least,  to  use  this  interest  as  a  point  of  vantage  gradually 
to  reach  further  down  and   awaken  dormant  faculties. 

It  needs  no  long  explication  that  the  majority  of 
children  exhibit  more  or  less  complex  combinations  of 
faculties  and  tendencies ;  but  in  few  cases  will  there 
not  be  found  some  special  avenue  through  which  it  will 
be  easiest  to  reach  the  psyche  of  an  individual  child, 
even  though  this  psyche  may  too  often  seem  timidly  to 
vanish  away  from  the  searching  probe  of  the  teacher. 

School  physicians. — A  most  valuable  help  in  this 

study  of  individual  children  is  rendered  by  the  school 

physicians,  of  whom  there  are  two.    On  entering  a  child, 

parents  are   requested  to  fill  out  the  following  blank 

which  is  intended  to  give  information  as  to  the  child's 

physical  history. 

Date 

Child's  History 

Name Date  of  birth 

Condition  of  father's  health 

'•  mother's     "      

(If  parents  are  dead,  state  cause  of  death) 

is  there  any  hereditary  disease  in  i  he  family :-  

ts  the  child's  general  health  good?  

Has  the  child  always  had  good  health  S  

Mention  all  the  diseases  it  has  had 

lias  the  child  ever  bad  any  of  the  following  troubli 
Asthma,  Kits. 

Shortness  of  breath.  Rupture, 

Bronchitis,  spinal  disease, 

Spitting  of  blood  Hip  disease, 

Pleurisj .  -    i  plessness, 

Pneumonia,  Headache, 

Heart  disease,  Neuralgia, 

Palpitation  of  the  heart,  Dizziness, 

Kidney  trouble.  Dyspepsia, 

Epilepsy,  Habitual  Constipation, 

st.  Vitus  Dane.-,  Jaundice, 

Rheumatism,  Chronic  Diarrhoea. 

Paralysis. 


30  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

Has  the  child  ever  had  any  injury  or  undergone  any  surgical  operation  ? 
How  much  time  spent  in  the  open  air  daily:' 
Uow  many  hours  sleep  ? 
Any  additional  remarks. 

With  this  information  at  their  disposal,  the  physi- 
cians measure  and  examine  all  pupils  at  regular  inter- 
vals. The  following  data  are  obtained  :  Height  in 
inches  (without  shoes)  ;  weight  in  pounds  (with  cloth- 
ing reduced  to  a  minimum)  ;  girth  (in  centimeters) 
over  the  skin  of  neck,  right  and  left  arm,  right  and  left 
calf,  and  chest  before  and  during  inspiration,  respect- 
ively expansion  ;  antero-posterior  and  transverse  diame- 
ters of  the  chest,  and,  in  cubic  inches,  the  lung  capacity. 
Apparatus  used  are  a  height  measure,  scale,  tape- 
measure,  calipers,  and  spirometer.  An  examination  of 
heart,  chest,  lungs,  spine,  etc.,  complete  the  test. 

The  advantages  of  these  investigations  are  manifold. 
First  of  all,  they  enable  the  physicians  to  discover  incip- 
ient diseases.  The  following  case  is  particularly  inter- 
esting. The  report  is  that  of  a  colored  girl  who  at  the 
date  of  the  first  measurement  was  fifteen  years  old. 
The  following  will  show  comparatively  the  data  of  two 
measurements,  at  an  intermission  of  one  year. 

Date Nov.  lo.  1891.        Nov,  11.  l§92. 

1 1 <  iirlit (inches) 59.1 59. 1 

Weiffhl (lbs.) 92 89. 

Girth  neck (cm.) 2T.5 29.2 

Girth  right  arm (cm.) 18.1 19.2 

Girth  Left  arm (cm.) 17.6 18.5 

Girth  right  calf (cm.) 29.0 81. 

Girth  left  calf (cm.) .29.3 30.8 

Girth  chest (cm  ) 65.5 "■'). 

"    full (cm.) 72.5 77. 

T    I) (cm.) 21.2 21. 

A    P.  D (cm.) 18.2 15. 

Capacity  of  lungs (cu.  In.)..  .95.  — 90. 

It  will  be  seen  from  a  comparison  of  the  two  columns 


SCHOOL   PHYSICIANS  31 

that  while  the  girths  show  a  general  increase,  owing  to 
natural  development,  the  girl  did  not  gain  as  much  as 
one-tenth  of  an  inch  in  height,  which  means  that  her 
growth  had  been  arrested  during  the  past  year,  and  sev- 
eral important  measurements  show  a  decided  decrease. 
In  weight  she  had  lost  three  pounds  ;  the  difference 
between  the  chest  measure  before  and  after  inhal- 
ation is  reduced  from  seven  to  only  four  centimeters  ; 
the  diameters,  especially  the  antero-posterior  diameter, 
show  a  decided  decrease,  and  the  capacity  of  the  lungs 
is  reduced  from  95  to  90  cu.  in. 

At  the  time  of  the  first  measurement,  the  girl  was 
found  to  be  in  normal  health  ;  the  alarming  discrep- 
ancy of  the  first  and  second  series  of  figures,  however, 
led  to  an  immediate  and  thorough  examination,  and 
the  school  physician  recorded  the  following  diagnosis  : 

Heart  trouble ;  mitral  insufficiency  and  hypertrophy  of  left  ventricle. 
Has  probably  from  her  history  had  rheumatism  in  the  pasl  year  of  which  her 
heart  trouble  is  the  consequei 

Treatment  was  prescribed,  but  it  was  perhaps  too  late. 
Curiously  enough,  the  child  denied  having  suffered 
from  rheumatism,  but  scarcely  two  months  later  she 
had  to  leave  school  on  account  of  inflammatory  rheu- 
matism. 

This  instructive  case  induced  the  writer  to  institute 
the  measurements  at  shorter  intervals  (at  present  from 
three  to  four  times  a  year),  as  thus  incipient  disease 
will  be  more  speedily  detected;  and  in  quite  a  num- 
ber of  instances,  success  has  crowned  these  efforts. 
Among  the  physical  defects  the  progress  of  which  was 
checked  in  this  manner,  or  to  which  timely  attention  was 
directed  so  that  proper  treatment  could  be  administered, 


32  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

may  be  mentioned  tuberculosis,  appendicitis,  scoliosis, 
diseases  of  eye  and  ear,  adenoid  vegetations,  chorea, 
grand  mal,  a  large  number  of  different  neurotic  troubles, 
etc. 

In  passing,  it  should  be  mentioned  that  by  this  careful 
supervision  of  the  children's  physical  condition  by  the 
school  physicians  and  the  teachers  whose  observational 
powers  had  been  stimulated  and  educated  in  this  direc- 
tion, the  spread  of  contagious  diseases  was  effectually 
kept  under  control  whenever  there  was  danger  of  an 
epidemic,  so  that  even  at  times  when  measles,  diphtheria, 
or  other  treacherous  maladies  were  raging  all  about 
the  school,  the  latter  remained  almost  completely  free 
from  infection. 

Relation  of  health  to  conduct. — But  in  connection 
with  child  study  work  proper,  the  cooperation  of  the 
physicians  became  indispensable.  Mental  and  moral 
deterioration  is  so  often  merely  the  result,  concomitant, 
or  symptom,  of  physical  defect  or  changes,  and  needs 
treatment  rather  than  punishment,  that  the  writer  is  in 
the  habit  of  consulting  the  physician  in  all  cases  when 
detrimental  reports  reach  him  from  the  teachers,  before 
he  takes  any  other  step.  Of  course  the  cooperation  of 
the  parents  will  often  become  necessary,  and  few  of 
these  will  be  found  reluctant  to  listen  to  reason. 

Cases  of  this  kind  are  so  interesting  and  instructive 
that  a  few  may  be  here  described. 

(1 )  A  girl  of  eleven. — The  reports  of  the  teachers  may 
be  summed  up  as  follows  :  Below  the  average  in  reading  ; 
no  mind  for  mathematics  ;  careless  in  manual  execution. 
Poor  work  in  sewing.  Unable  to  give  an  intelligent 
answer.     Little  power  of  attention.     Lacks  self-control 


RELATION    OF   HEALTH   TO    CONDUCT  33 

and  is  very  emotional.  Restless  and  absent-minded. 
A  disturbing  element ;  somewhat  quarrelsome.  In  ex- 
citement, gesticulating  wildly.  Suffering  from  head- 
aches.    No  mental  or  moral  backbone. 

An  investigation  of  her  home  surroundings  showed 
that  they  were  very  unfortunate.  The  father  is  of  violent 
temper  and  sometimes  given  to  drink.  The  lodgings 
have  little  light  and  air,  and  the  people  being  very  poor, 
there  is  lack  of  nourishing  food.  The  physician  dis- 
covered hereditary  traits  of  degeneration  (roof  of  mouth 
too  high  and  narrow ;  dental  arch  shows  deformity  in 
upper  and  lower  jaw ;  teeth  close  at  the  edges — front 
teeth  meet,  lower  jaw  too  far  forward).  The  girl  has 
had  epileptic  attacks  ;  is  easily  startled,  timid.  Has 
bad  dreams,  of  death  of  relatives,  or  accidents.  Both 
nasal  passages  are  obstructed  ;  child  a  mouth-breather. 
Body  too  moist,  perspires  too  freely  ;  chronic  constipa- 
tion. 

From  all  this  it  might  appear  that  the  case  is  nearly 
hoj:>eless.  Yet,  it  was  observed  that  the  girl  gave  evi- 
dence of  a  certain  motherly  instinct  which  made  her 
very  helpful  with  the  younger  children  in  her  class. 
This  trait  was  taken  advantage  of.  Besides,  the  teach- 
ers were  encouraged  by  their  experience  with  an  older 
sister,  who  after  passing  through  similar  symptoms, 
and  severe  attacks  of  hysterics  during  period  of  pube- 
scence, was  finally  coming  out  fairly  well — not  a  bril- 
liant scholar,  to  be  sure,  but  of  average  ability  along 
certain  lines,  and  peculiarly  interesting  along  some. 
She  is  sadly  deficient  in  language  and  history,  but  good 
in  mathematics,  art,  and  manual  work.  Her  character 
is  particularly  remarkable.     Indeed,  there  are  pessimis- 


34  CHILD   STUDY    FOE    SCHOOLS 

tic  and  crude  traits,  but  coupled  with  these  is  a  loving 
and  grateful  disposition,  an  intense  love  of  beauty,  and 
exceptional  literary  perception.  Her  younger  sister's 
motherly  instincts  reappear  in  her  in  the  form  of  a 
desire  to  become  a  kindergartener.  The  younger  girl, 
by  the  way,  is  now,  since  she  has  reached  puberty, 
giving  evidence  of  a  healthier  development. 

(2)  Another  girl  of  eleven. — There  is  another  inter- 
esting case  of  a  girl  who  was  eleven  years  old  at  date  of 
latest  report.  Formerly  having  been  reported  to  be  of 
fair  intelligence  and  an  average  worker,  though  being  a 
spoiled  child,  all  at  once  she  seemed  to  degenerate. 
The  teacher  complained  of  her  apathy ;  she  could  not 
answer  the  simplest  questions  and  is  falling  away  behind 
her  class.  She  was  thought  either  stupid  or  negligent. 
Most  of  her  time  was  spent  in  play  ;  she  appeared  indif- 
ferent, lazy,  making  no  effort.  In  sewing  alone  was 
good  work  and  satisfactory  interest  reported. 

When  the  case  was  referred  to  the  school  physician, 
the  following  diagnosis  was  submitted  :  Again  certain 
deformities  of  mouth,  teeth,  etc.  Enlarged  tonsils,  a 
nasal  catarrh,  adenoid  vegetations  ;  a  mouth  breather  ; 
slightly  deaf  and  nearsighted.  Frequent  headaches. 
This  diagnosis  of  course  explains  all  the  symptoms  above 
described.  The  child  did  not  answer  the  simplest  ques- 
tions, because  she  did  not  hear  them  ;  she  could  not 
follow  blackboard  directions  because  she  did  not  see 
them.  On  the  whole,  her  physical  condition  made  it 
impossible  for  her  to  make  mental  exertion  and  to  do 
justice  to  the  work  of  the  class.  She  was  placed  under 
treatment  ;  the  tonsils  were  resected,  the  vegetation, 
removed.     Now  there  is  a  general  improvement,  even 


RELATION    OF   HEALTH    TO   CONDUCT  35 

though  it  is  indeed  a  slow  process  to  overcome  acquired 
habits  which  had  been  allowed  to  develop  during  a  rela- 
tively long  period. 

The  attention  of  teachers  must  be  called  repeatedly 
to  the  bad  effect  which  nasal  obstructions  and  enlarged 
tonsils  have  upon  the  general  mental  habitus  of  a  child  ; 
mouth-breathers  should  be  carefully  singled  out  and 
placed  under  treatment.  There  are  often  aural  defects 
resulting  from  such  conditions,  so  that  the  sense  of  hear- 
ing is  impaired.  There  is  such  a  large  percentage  of 
children  whose  hearing,  or  vision,  is  defective,  and  who, 
their  trouble  not  being  rightly  understood,  are  classed 
among  the  dull  or  obstinate  and  treated  accordingly, 
that  too  much  caution  and  conscientious  observation 
cannot  be  recommended  to  the  teacher. 

A  few  more  typical  cases  : 

(3)  A  boy  of  Jive  (0.) — Teacher's  report: — Quiet, 
phlegmatic  ;  sits  in  a  loppy  way  in  his  chair  as  if  tired 
out,  and  drags  his  feet  in  marching,  lagging  behind  the 
other  children.  Gives  the  impression  that  he  is  half 
asleep. 

Doctor's  report : — "  Large  head  and  thickened  joints. 
Rickets. " 

Treatment  prescribed.  Result :  Now  improving  in 
every  way. 

(4)  A  boy  of  six  (F.): — Formerly  the  pride  of  the 
kindergarten,  in  spite  of  his  youth.  Showed  fine  reason- 
ing ability,  was  deeply  interested  in  everything,  bright, 
active,  inventive.  Then  all  of  a  sudden  the  teachers 
noticed  that  he  looked  very  pale,  seemed  tired,  had  lost 
interest,  and  that  everything  was  such  an  effort  to  him. 

Doctor's  report:  "Indications   of  a   mild   form   of 


30  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

chorea  " — that  curse  of  precocity.  Rest  and  treatment 
have  cured  the  boy. 

(5)  A  girl  of  twelve  (S.)— Very  active,  bright,  inter- 
ested. Suddenly  falling  behind,  with  signs  of  great 
nervousness. 

Doctor's  report  : — "  Her  nervousness  seems  to  have 
had  its  origin  in  an  attack  of  rheumatism  two  years 
ago,  which  appears  to  have  been  very  severe.  There  is 
also  a  cardiac  murmur  indicative  of  an  affection  of  the 
heart,  and  there  is  some  chorea/' 

The  parents  were  advised  under  these  circumstances 
to  take  the  child  from  school.  With  rest,  treatment, 
and  home  training,  she  is  now  well  on  the  way  to  im- 
provement. 

(G)  A  boy  of  eleven  (P.)— Very  bright,  very  inaccu- 
rate, working  for  effect.  Lacks  persistence  and  will- 
power — slyly  mischievous.  Changing  from  alert  atten- 
tion to  listlessness.     Not  truthful. 

Doctor's  report : — "  Physically  poorly  developed. 
Narrow,  uneven  chest,  signs  of  former  rickets.  Also 
curvature  of  the  spine." 

Little  is  to  be  done  for  this  boy,  at  least  at  present. 
His  queer  ways  must  be  tolerated  and  made  the  best  of. 
He  is  fond  of  art-work  and  does  well  in  geography  and 
science. 

(7)  A  girl  of  twelve  (A.)— (colored):— She  was  never 
very  bright  or  attentive,  according  to  the  teachers' 
reports.  Yet  she  seemed  cheerful.  Lazy  and  without 
effort.  The  teachers  of  her  class  recommended  her  dis- 
missal. 

A  consultation  with  the  mother  and  the  school  physi- 
cian revealed  the  fact  that  the  girl   was  suffering  from 


THE    PERIOD    OF    PUBESCENCE  37 

grand  mal  (epilepsy)  and  was  generally  in  poor  health. 
On  some  days  she  was  really  too  miserable  to  go  to 
school,  and  yet  she  insisted  on  going.  A  few  times, 
she  was  overcome  by  attacks  of  vertigo  in  the  street,  in 
going  home  from  school,  and  had  to  be  attended  to  by 
passers-by. 

Time  and  treatment  were  granted  her.  Gradually 
she  picked  up  and  is  now  improving  steadily.  The 
teachers'  reports  show  a  very  different  girl  :  intelligent, 
bright,  quick.  The  teacher  who  had  been  most  em- 
phatic in  demanding  her  dismissal,  wrote  :  "She  is 
one  of  the  girls  in  the  class  upon  whom  I  can  best  depend. 
Is  anxious  to  do  her  best,  and  is  doing  very  good  work  ". 
The  only  indications  of  her  trouble  still  left  are  a  cer- 
tain sensitiveness,  excitable  temper,  occasional  head- 
aches and  nausea. 


The  period  of  pubescence  in  boys  and  girls  is  one 
during  which  a  great  deal  of  care  is  required  on  the 
part  of  parents  and  teachers,  especially  as  there  is  so 
much  ignorance  prevailing  a8  to  its  physiological  and 
psychological  significance  and  requirements.  It  is  a 
time  of  vital  changes  in  the  development  of  body  and 
soul,  and  in  the  attitude  assumed  by  the  child  towards 
life  and  duty  ;  it  means  an  awakening  and  a  conquest. 
It  signifies,  in  the  child,  the  first  dawn  of  coming  man- 
hood and  womanhood,  and  any  injury  at  this  time  to  the 
integrity  of  a  child's  soul  and  body  can  be  rarely  repaired 
by  a  life-long  struggle  to  build-up  again  the  broken 
ramparts  of  health,  purity,  and  idealism.  Leaving  the 
children  in  ignorance  of  the  significance  and  sacredness 
of  the  new  function  evolving  in  them  is  a  poor  way  of 


38  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

fortifying  them  to  meet  the  physical  and  moral  dangers 
with  which  their  path  is  beset  at  that  time.  At  any 
rate,  a  careful  study  of  individual  children  passing 
through  this  period  will  amply  repay  whatever  effort 
may  be  bestowed  on  it,  and  will  in  many  instances  save 
a  poor  struggling  soul  from  destruction. 

This  development  is  often  accompanied  by  very 
peculiar  symptoms,  which  have  seemingly  nothing  to 
do  with  the  pubescent  process,  and  yet  are  clearly 
indicative  of  it.  Among  both  boys  and  girls  there  is  a 
tendency  to  be  boisterous,  to  defy  authority  and  direc- 
tions, and  to  make  awkward  attempts  at  independence. 
Girls  particularly  will  be  given  to  excitability  degener- 
ating into  hysterical  conditions,  or  they  will  tell  false- 
hoods without  cause  or  provocation  and  be  often 
very  unreliable.  If  the  period  of  pubescence,  as  is 
often  the  case,  is  also  one  of  rapid  growth,  the  children 
will  be  lazy  and  difficult  to  handle.  These  symptoms 
generally  pass  away  as  quickly  as  they  come,  though 
of  course  unskillful  handling  may  perpetuate  them. 
Sympathetic  treatment,  which  need  not  lack  firmness, 
will  help  the  children  to  adjust  themselves  to  their  new 
conditions  and  to  develop  new  and  higher  ideals  of  life. 

Teachers'  and  parents'  meetings. — What  the  re- 
ports so  far  described  may  leave  obscure,  will  become 
clearer  and  more  intelligible  by  open  verbal  discussions. 
Such  take  place  whenever  the  occasion  demands  it,  be- 
tween the  teachers,  the  director,  and  the  parents,  whose 
cooperation  is  constantly  sought.  In  stated  meetings,  the 
teachers  exchange  their  opinions  on  individual  children, 
with  constant  reference  to  the  records  as  filed,  and  the 
discussion   and  its   results  are   carefully  noted   down. 


HOME    REPORTS  39 

There  are  also  monthly  meetings  of  teachers  and  par- 
ents whereby  opportunity  is  afforded  for  much  mutual 
help  and  information.  Teachers  often  visit  parents 
and  children  at  their  homes  and  thus  establish  a  friendly 
relation  between  home  and  school,  and  ascertain  many 
helpful  facts  concerning  the  home  environment  of  the 
child  ;  while  the  parents  will  learn  to  appreciate  the 
teacher  in  her  or  his  private  capacity  as  a  lady  or  a 
gentleman. 

Home  reports. — As  in  other  schools,  there  is  also 
another  regular  communication  with  the  parents,  viz., 
the  home  reports.  These,  however,  differ  in  several 
essential  points  from  the  reports  as  ordinarily  prepared. 
It  hardly  needs  mentioning  that  there  is  no  system  of 
percentage  marking ;  the  viciousness  of  this  system 
which  undertakes  to  size  up  a  child's  proficiency  and 
progress  in  an  arithmetical  formula  is  well  known. 
Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  pupil  can  best  be  said  in 
words  adapted  to  the  individual  case.  Words,  there- 
fore, are  used  on  these  reports.  They  are  given  out  only 
three  times  in  the  course  of  the  school  year  :  at  Christ- 
mas, at  Easter,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year,  in  June. 

Furthermore,  these  reports  do  not  contain  a  list  of 
all  the  subjects  taught,  with  a  statement  of  progress  in 
each,  but  rather  a  resume.  At  the  times  specified,  the 
different  teachers  hand  in  their  opinions  of  the  pupils' 
progress,  together  with  explanatory  remarks,  if  neces- 
sary, to  the  director  of  the  school ;  and  he,  on  the  basis 
of  these  statements,  and  after  consultation  of  the  gen- 
eral record  of  the  children  and  also  of  the  physician's 
report,  writes  out  the  reports  which  are  sent  home. 
The  cards  look  as  follows  : — 


40  CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

(upper  side) 

„  [  Thursday  and  Friday.  Maximilian  P.  E.  Gboszhann, 

Office  Hotjks  .  -j  3.-5l.  K  Pd.D.,  Superintendent. 

The   Ethical   Culture  Schools 


REPORT  FOR 


Grade: Date  : 

Note.-  Parents  who  desire  to  obtain  detailed  information  as  to  the 
progress  of  their  children  in  the  different  branches  of  instruction  are  invited 
to  .•all  at  the  office  of  the  Superintendent  at  any  time  during  office  hours, 
and  also  to  consult  with  the  Superintendent  and  teachers  at  the  regular 
monthly  parents'  meetings. 

'l^r-  if  more  frequent  reports  in  writing  on  special  brandies  are  desired, 
they  nill  be  furnished  upon  application  to  the  Superintendent. 

;#  •  Parents  are  requested  to  sign  this  report,  so  that  the  children  may 
return  it  to  their  Class  Teacher  on  the  day  after  it  was  issued  :  otherwise 
the  pupil  is  liable  to  be  scut  la. me  from  school. 

Form  No.  83 

(reverse  side) 


No.  Yz  1>ai  a  Present. 
"   %     "     Absent.. 

1   Times  Tabdy 

Conduct 

Progress 

Deficient  in 


Rem  \  rkb. 


Promoted  to Grade. 


The  special  reports  mentioned  on  the  upper  side  of 
this  blank  are  filled  out  by  the  teachers  directly  :  few 


REPORT    CARD 


41 


of  them,  however,  have  ever  been  issued  as  the  parents 
were  well  satisfied  with  the  ordinary  reports.  Follow- 
ing is  a  reproduction  of  the  blanks  used  for  this  pur- 
pose : 

(I'l'lTK   3HH 

Office  Hotjbs-  !  Tlim's,la>'  ani1  Friday,  Maxishj  can  P.  E.  Groszmamm, 

'  I  ;i-">  p.  m.  IM.  1>. .  Superintendent. 

The   Ethical   Culture  Schools 


Pupil's  Name 

Dati 

Supi  rind  ini<  nt  -  Signatun . 


• \  matun . 


SPECIAL  REPORT 


si  BJECTS 

PRO<    ; 

TEACHER'S    1 
SIGN  \  11  KH  J 

42  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

The  value  of  this  system  will  be  better  understood  by 
the  following  sample  reports  : 
(1)  Report  for  L.  (boy).— Grade  VII. 
Date,  Dec.  1,  1895. 

Conduct : — Not  always  satisfactory. 
Progress  : — Not  satisfactory. 
Deficient   in   geometry,  algebra,  history,   geog- 
raphy, music,  and  work  instruction. 
Eemarks  : — It  is  as  yet  doubtful  whether  he  will 
learn  to  control  himself.     His  mischievousness 
and  inclination  to  become  vulgar  have  given 
much  trouble. 


(2)  Report  for  G.  (girl).—  Grade  IV. 
Date,  April  1,  1896. 

Conduct  : — Fair. 

Progress  : — Fair. 

Eemarks  : — Is  not  doing   her   best.     Somewhat 

domineering,  and   needs  tactful,  firm   manage- 
ment. 
Date,  June  1,  1896. 

Conduct : — Fair. 

Progress  : — Fair. 

Deficient  in  grammar. 

Eemarks  : — Promoted  to  V  Grade  on  trial. 
Date,  Dec.  1,  1896.     Grade  V. 

Conduct : — Improving. 

Progress  : — Fair. 

Eemarks  : — Beginning  to  develop  the  right  atti- 
tude in  work  and  manner. 


REPORTS  43 

(3)  Report  for  F.  (boy)— Grade  III. 
Date,  December  1,  1895. 

Conduct : — Not  very  satisfactory. 
Progress  : — Fair. 

Deficient  in  composition,  music,  and  designing. 
Remarks  : — Is   capable    of    doing   much   better 
work,  but  is  careless.     Seems  deeply  interested 
in  the  manual  branches. 


(4)  Report  for  H.  {boy). — Grade  VII. 
Date,  December  1,  1895. 

Conduct : — Generally  satisfactory. 
Progress  : — Generally  satisfactory. 
Remarks  : — Only  fair  in  art  work.     On  the  whole, 
while   doing   well,  he   might   still   do   better, 
were  it  not  for  occasional  lapses  into  careless- 
ness. 

Date,  April  1,  1896. 

Conduct : — Satisfactory. 

Progress  : — On  the  whole,  satisfactory. 

Deficient  in  arithmetic. 

Remarks  : — As  he  has  shown  improvement,  his 
falling  off  in   mathematics  is  particularly  re- 
markable. 
Date,  June  1,  189G. 

Conduct  : — Satisfactory. 

Progress  : — On  the  whole,  satisfactory. 

Deficient  in  mathematics. 

Remarks  : — Promoted  to  VIII  Grade. 
Date,  December  1,  189G.     Grade  VIII. 

Conduct : — Satisfactory. 


44  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

Progress  : — Fair  to  satisfactory. 

Eemarks : — Immature,   and    difficult  to   reach. 

His  imagination  is  not  very  elevated.    Possesses 

manual  skill. 


(5)  Report  for  E.  {girl). — Grade  VI. 
Date,  December  1,  1895. 

Conduct  : — Not  satisfactory. 
Progress  : — Not  satisfactory. 
Deficient  in  most  branches. 
Remarks  : — Unless   a   decided    improvement  is 
observed  at  an. early  date,  it  may  become  neces- 
sary to  drop  E's  name  from  our  list  of  pupils. 
Date,  April  1,  1896. 
Conduct : — Only  fair. 
Progress  : — Not  very  satisfactory. 
Deficient  in  natural  science,  art,  and  mechanical 

drawing. 
Remarks  : — There  is  a  slight  improvement.     She 
is  good-hearted   but   often   ill-mannered,  and 
does  not  sufficiently  exert  herself. 
Date,  June  1,  1896. 

Conduct  : — Satisfactory. 
Progress  : — Fair. 
Deficient  in  German  and  art. 
Remarks  : — Promoted  to  VII  Grade. 
Date,  December  1,  1890.     Grade  VII. 
Conduct : — Satisfactory. 
Progress  : — Only  fair. 
Deficient  in  Latin. 


REPORTS  45 

Remarks  : — Seems  to  have  reached  the  limit  of 
her  intellectual  development.  Has  improved 
much  in  conduct  and  character. 


(6)  Report  for  C.  (girl).— Grade  VI. 
Date,  December  1,  1896. 
Conduct : — Satisfactory. 
Progress  : — Slow. 

Remarks : — Tries   hard    enough.     Her   physical 
condition  needs  attention. 


(7)  Report  for  B.  (Joy).— Grade  V. 
Date,  December  1,  1895. 

Conduct  : — Not  always  satisfactory. 

Progress  : — Fair. 

Deficient  in  German  and  mathematics. 

Remarks  : — Is  at  times  ill-mannered  and  imper- 
tinent. 
Date,  April  1,  189G. 

Conduct : — Satisfactory. 

Progress  : — On  the  whole,  satisfactory. 

Remarks  : — Steadily  improving. 
Date,  June  1,  1896. 

Conduct : — Satisfactory. 

Progress  : — Fair  to  satisfactory. 

Remarks  : — Physically  weak. 

Promoted  to  VI  Grade. 
Date,  December  1,  1896.     Grade  VI. 

Conduct  : — On  the  whole,  satisfactory. 

Progress  : — On  the  whole,  satisfactory. 


46  CHILD    STUDY    TOR    SCHOOLS 

Remarks  : — Slow,    earnest,    helpful.     Has   apti- 
tude for  art  work. 
(8)  Report  for  M  (boy).—  Grade  IV. 
Date,  December  1,  1895. 

Conduct  : — Satisfactory. 

Progress  : — Fair. 

Deficient  in  composition  aud  mathematics. 

Remarks  : — Successful  in  art.     Has  of  late  given 
evidence  of  great  carelessness. 
Date,  April  1,  1896. 

Conduct  : — Satisfactory. 

Progress  : — Fair. 

Deficient  in  geometry. 

Remarks  : — Very  careless  in  everything,  even 
about  his  personal  appearance,  which  needs 
attention  decidedly.     Weak  in  English. 

Date,  June  1,  L896. 

Conduct  : — Satisfactory. 

Progress  : — Fair. 

Remarks  : — Still  too  immature.  Not  promoted. 
Date  :— Dec.  1,  1896. 

Conduct  : — Generally  satisfactory. 

Progress  : — Satisfactory. 

Remarks  : — Somewhat  restless  and  inclined  to  be 
mischievous  ;  well-intentioned. 


As  there  is  likely  to  be  much  doubt  as  to  the  suf- 
ficiency of  these  reports,  the  writer  may  be  permitted 
to  quote  some  of  the  arguments  which  were  presented 
in  favor  of  this  method,  in  the  earnest  discussions  which 


FREQUENCY   OF    REPORTS  47 

preceded  the  final  adoption  of  the  plan  by  the  faculty 
of  the  school. 

The  characteristic  features  of  the  system  illustrated 
here  are,  once  more,  first  that  the  reports  are  given  at 
long  intervals ;  secondly,  that  instead  of  a  long  list  of 
statements  on  all  the  different  subjects  taught  in  a  class, 
a  summary  of  general  progress  is  given,  with  the  addition 
of  explanatory  remarks  when  deemed  necessary  ;  that 
words  are  used  instead  of  figures ;  and  lastly  that  the 
teachers  do  not  make  out  these  reports  directly,  but 
that  the  director  condenses  their  individual  and  detailed 
statements  into  the  form  of  a  pointed  message  to  the 
parents. 

Frequency. — Regarding  the  frequency  of  the  re- 
ports, the  element  of  time  and  energy  spent  must  be 
considered,  as  a  monthly  report  would  involve  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  labor.  Class  teachers  teach  a  number 
of  subjects  to  an  entire  class ;  in  the  Ethical  Culture 
schools,  most  of  the  teachers  give  lessons  in  more  than 
one  class,  some  in  all  classes  where  reports  are  given ; 
this  means  reporting  on  100-"200  children.  Even  if  the 
system  of  instruction  were  of  the  mechanical  recitation 
kind  where  daily  marks  are  given,  so  that  the  report 
would  merely  mean  an  arithmetical  average,  the  month- 
ly reports  would  consume  much  energy  which  could  be 
applied  to  better  purpose.  But  in  a  school  where  the 
lessons  are  conducted  in  a  different  spirit,  where  edu- 
cation, spiritual  and  mental  growth,  and  inspiration  are 
aimed  at  rather  than  examinable  knowledge,  and  where 
the  child's  individuality  is  studied  and  respected,  the 
making  of  a  most  ordinary  statement  on  a  child  is  a 
matter  of  no  little  difficulty. 


48  CHILD    STUDY     FOR    SCHOOLS 

"  To  say  with  any  degree  of  certainty  whether  a  child 
is  progressing  or  not,  is  often  a  puzzling  problem,  not 
easily  solved  in  short  stated  intervals,  and  in  a  few 
words.  It  may  be  said  that  it  should  be  easy  for  a 
teacher  to  say  as  much  on  a  monthly  report  as  he  can 
say  to  a  parent  at  a  parents'  meeting.  But  the  fact  is 
that  even  at  such  meetings,  when  the  teacher  has  time 
to  express  himself  fully  in  a  personal  interview  with  a 
parent  ;  when  his  gestures,  the  expression  of  his  face 
and  the  tone  of  his  voice,  help  in  making  his  meaning 
clear, — that  even  then  it  is  not  always  an  easy  matter 
to  answer  the  parents'  questions  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner. How  much  more  difficult  is  it  then  to  express  an 
opinion  in  a  few  stated  words  on  a  written  report,  un- 
aided by  those  helps  which  the  spoken  word  affords  ! 

At  any  rate,  it  will  be  advisable  for  the  teacher  to 
consult  his  records  and  notes  on  each  child  as  far  as 
such  can  be  kept  ;  to  look  over  the  work  done  during 
the  month,  and  to  try  to  recall  as  much  of  the  child's 
doings  throughout  this  period  as  will  enable  him  to  say 
conscientiously  whether  there  was  progress  or  not. 
This  means  many  hours  of  work,  and  it  is  plain  that 
this  time  is  lost  somewhere.  Certainly,  such  a  waste 
of  energy  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  appears  entirely 
disproportionate  to  the  good  it  may  do.  It  ought  to  be 
added  that  when  teachers  and  director,  as  far  as  special 
cases  are  concerned,  are  in  constant  communication  with 
the  parents,  even  apart  from  the  parents'  meetings, 
formal  reports  at  stated  intervals  appear  still  less  neces- 
sary. 

Then  there   are   certain   subjects   which,  in   a  well 
regulated  course   of  instruction,  will   not   occur  very 


GENERAL   SUMMARIES  49 

frequently  in  the  course  of  a  month  ;  progress  or  retro- 
gressive tendencies  in  such,  as  e.  g.,  shop  work  or  art, 
will  not  manifest  themselves  very  plainly  during  short 
periods  of  observation.  But,  really,  this  is  true  of  all 
branches  ;  sudden  changes  in  a  child's  progress  will  be 
observed  ouly  at  critical  times,  which  do  not  occur  simul- 
taneously in  all  children  of  a  certain  class.  A  longer 
period  of  observation  will  enable  the  teacher  to  do 
greater  justice  to  a  pupil's  real  development  than  any 
brief  interval  can  possibly  afford  :  and  it  is  therefore 
unavoidable  that  frequent  reports  would  induce  a  tend- 
ency to  become  formal  and  mechanical. 

General  summaries. — Then  a  pedagogical  treat- 
ment of  subjects  requires  that  they  should  be  classified 
and  correlated.  A  report  putting  estimate  upon  in- 
dividual branches  tends  to  neglect  this  correlation,  to 
emphasize  division  rather  than  relationship,  to  repre- 
sent the  school  work  in  segments,  and  to  ignore  the 
proper  relation  of  important  divisions  of  the  same  sub- 
ject. Accidental  and  minor  details  assume  undue  im- 
portance, unconsciously  perhaps,  from  a  sincere  desire 
to  make  the  best  showing  possible  for  the  pupil. 

Thus  the  teacher  falls  a  victim  to  the  system  and 
violates  some  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  peda- 
gogy by  reporting  on  single  educational  activities  and 
isolated  means,  in  order  to  bring  the  pupil  to  an  arti- 
ficial standard. 

While  such  a  system  may  lead  to  a  knowledge  of 
many  things,  it  fails  to  give  that  unity  of  consciousness, 
which,  we  are  told,  is  so  essential  to  the  development  of 
a  strong  personal  character. 

If  the  cards  were  marked  separately  by  each  teacher, 


50  CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

that  is,  in  each  subject,  there  would  be  from  ten  to- 
twenty  items  on  each  report.  A  multiplicity  of  details 
is  confusing.  It  is  a  question  whether  the  average 
parent  would  be  able  to  disentangle  from  this  mass  the 
central  thought,  "  The  child's  work  is  satisfactory." 

An  examination  of  any  one  card  is  sufficient  to  show 
that  the  scholar  has  been  studied  individually.  The 
spirit  of  the  school  breathes  in  every  word.  If  the 
work  has  not  been  satisfactory,  the  reasons  are  sought 
and  carefully  explained  upon  the  reports.  Rebuke  is 
given  in  a  tender  manner  which  can  leave  no  question 
as  to  the  human  interest  felt  for  the  child. 

Difficulty  of  marking  subjects.— But  suppose 
progress  in  all  the  different  subjects  should  be  marked 
— in  what  way  is  the  marking  to  be  done  ?  Figures  are 
justly  objected  to,  and  words  preferred.  But  unless  a 
complete  sentence  or  two  of  variable  content  is  used  in 
every  case  to  express  the  meaning  of  the  teacher,  the 
selection  of  words  will  be  confined  to  a  small  group  of 
terms,  such  as  good,  satisfactory,  fair,  poor,  falling 
behind,  keeping  his  own,  making  progress,  and  the  like. 
Unless  these  terms  are  well  graded  in  their  relative 
value,  child  and  parent  will  be  confused  as  to  their 
meaning,  and  questions  as,  ' '  Is  satisfactory  more  than 
making  progress",  or  "  Is  fair  as  good  as  keeping  his 
own ",  and  the  like,  will  become  numerous.  And  if 
they  are  well  graded,  the  use  of  figures  in  place  of  the 
words  is  only  a  matter  of  convenience.  The  pupils  (and 
their  parents)  will  count  up  the  "goods",  "making 
progress  ",  etc.,  as  mechanically  as  they  did  the  "ones, 
"twos",  or  the  90  $,  80  #  and  the  like. 

Then  what  standard  is  to  be  accepted  ?     The  class 


REPOBT  FROM  THE  DIRECTOR  51 

•standard  ?  This  varies  each  year,  and  with  every  new- 
teacher,  and  according  to  departments.  The  child's 
individual  capacity  ?  That  is  sometimes  difficult  to 
determine,  especially  from  the  standpoint  of  a  depart- 
ment teacher,  and  it  is  a  factor  of  variable  character, 
besides  meaning  a  different  thing  in  different  studies. 
In  either  case,  the  same  marks  will  mean  different 
things  for  different  pupils,  in  different  classes,  and  in 
different  subjects.  Besides,  the  standards  of  the  differ- 
ent teachers,  each  representing  a  different  attitude  and 
individual  conception  of  what  the  child  ought  to  do  or 
might  do,  differ  so  much  that  a  mutual  agreement 
as  to  the  meaning  of  marks  has  been  proved  to  be 
practically  impossible.  All  this,  if  the  reports  are  to 
contain  statements  on  each  subject,  must  needs  produce 
confusion  and  dissatisfaction  in  both  child  and  parent ; 
while  if  the  general  result  of  the  child's  efforts  is  sum- 
med up  by  the  director  of  the  school,  all  these  incon- 
gruous marks  may  be  harmonized  and  given  their  due 
share  in  valuing  a  child's  standing  in  the  class. 

Report  from  the  director. — It  may  be  said  that 
the  teachers'  marks  should  be  directly  reported  to  the 
parent,  and  that  a  system  which  makes  the  teachers  lose 
their  identity  in  a  general  statement  by  the  director, 
tends  to  weaken  their  relations  to  pupil  and  parents. 
Indeed,  there  are  few  schools  where  a  closer  relation 
between  the  teachers  and  the  pupils  and  their  parents 
is  encouraged  than  in  this,  and  the  reports  will  neither 
weaken  nor  strengthen  the  teachers'  position.  Or  rather, 
it  has  been  shown  that  they  might  really  weaken  it  by 
the  misunderstandings  which  so  often  arise  in  conse- 
quence of  the  usual  inability  of  the  scholar  to  appre- 


52  CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

ciate  the   true  meaning   and  proportionate  value  of  a 
mark. 

Then,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  director  par- 
ticipates in  an  essential  manner  in  the  teaching  of 
every  single  subject  taught  in  the  school.  His  position 
may  be  compared  to  that  of  the  president  of  a  society 
who  is  an  ex-officio  member  of  every  committee.  He 
directs  the  whole  work  of  the  school,  examines  the 
written  exercises  of  every  individual  child,  observes  the 
pupils  in  their  classes,  watches  over  their  health,  re- 
ceives, studies,  annotates,  and  acts  upon  all  the  reports 
handed  in  by  the  teachers  on  each  individual  child, 
and  keeps  the  record  of  all  cases  of  discipline.  Hence, 
he  naturally  forms  a  better  balanced  judgment  of  the 
children  and  understands  them  better  than  any  indi- 
vidual teacher  could  do  ;  the  report  made  out  by  him 
on  the  basis  of  all  this  intimate  acquaintance  and  of  the 
direct  reports  by  the  teachers  to  him  will  therefore  be 
of  greater  value  than  the  mere  marking  by  the  teacher. 

Competition. — Finally,  an  enumeration  of  marks  in 
the  different  subjects  will  stimulate  the  children's  am- 
bition in  an  undue  degree.  The  pupils  will  compare 
their  reports,  and  a  spirit  of  envy,  pride,  or  resentment 
will  spring  up.  The  ambition  to  do  better  than  others 
is  developed.  The  tendency  of  the  school  ought  to  be 
to  remove  incentives  to  rivalry,  and  simply  to  encourage 
the  pupils  to  do  their  best,  no  matter  whether  their 
best  is  better  or  worse  than  another's  best.  "  Not  fail- 
ure, but  low  aim  is  crime." 

The  children  should  learn  to  share  cheerfully  the  joy 
of  others  in  attaining  success,  and  to  stand  by  those 
who  fail.     Any  system  of  reports  that  establishes  a  false 


PROMOTION — GRADUATION  53 

standard  of  success  ;  that  elevates  details  to  the  dignity 
of  wholes  and  essentials  ;  that  distorts  the  organic 
relation  of  subjects  in  the  general  scheme  of  educational 
effort ;  that  invites  the  pupils  to  work  for  marks,  and 
to  compare  these  in  a  mechanical  manner,  is  prejudicial 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  children  and  of  the  school. 

Promotion. — It  is  natural  that  with  such  a  system 
of  records  and  reports  on  each  individual  child,  promo- 
tions will  cease  to  be  a  matter  of  arithmetical  com- 
putation. Whether  it  is  best  for  a  child  to  repeat  a 
term's  work,  or  to  try  its  strength  at  the  new  tasks  of  a 
higher  grade,  can  be  decided  not  only  on  the  ground  of 
tests  which  are  intended  to  ascertain  how  much  of  a 
lower  grade's  work  is  understood  or  remembered,  but 
depends  also  on  the  moral  fitness,  physical  condition, 
and  intellectual  maturity  of  the  child.  There  are  cases 
imaginable  when  a  term's  work  is  really  not  quite  com- 
pleted, and  it  may  yet  be  deemed  advisable  to  place  the 
pupil  into  the  higher  class  so  that  the  harder  lessons 
may  act  as  a  stimulus  and  inspiration.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  child  may  have  attained  an  average  success 
in  mastering  the  lessons  of  one  class,  and  still  not  be 
fit  to  take  up  new  work.  Promotion  on  trial  is  just  as 
helpful  as  placing  a  child  in  a  class  on  trial,  at  the  time 
of  admission.  Promotions,  then,  are  discussed  and 
decided  upon  in  teachers'  meetings. 

Graduation. — The  same  course  is  naturally  adopted 
with  reference  to  graduations.  The  same  individual- 
ization which  characterizes  all  the  dealings  with  the 
pupils  of  the  school,  is  insisted  upon  here.  This  means 
that  no  attempt  is  made  to  press  all  the  candidates  for 
graduation  into  one  common  mould,  or  to  have  one  in- 


54  CHILD    STUDY    FOR   SCHOOLS 

variable  standard.  The  manual  child  has  as  much 
right  to  have  his  special  excellencies  recognized  as  the 
literary  child  ;  and  similarly  an  artistic  nature  should 
not  be  forced  into  the  Procrustean  bed  of  an  average 
conformity. 

Certain  minimum  requirements  must  be  met,  of  course, 
to  give  evidence  of  an  effort  to  secure  as  much  of  an  all 
'round  education  as  an  individual  pupil  is  capable  of 
attaining;  but  beyond  this  minimum,  there  should  be 
a  willing  recognition  of  individual  limitations  and  ex- 
cellencies. A  pupil,  for  instance,  who  is  destined  by 
nature  to  become  a  mechanical  engineer  and  for  whom, 
perhaps,  a  manual  training  high  school  will  open  its 
doors,  ought  not  necessarily  to  be  expected  to  pass  the 
same  examination  as  is  required  of  one  who  will  take 
up  college  work  in  philology  and  philosophy. 

At  any  rate,  the  system  of  child  study  described  here 
includes  the  application  of  an  individual  standard  of 
proficiency  in  regard  to  graduation.  Eren  where  there 
is  no  special  excellence,  as  long  as  faithful  work  has 
been  done,  and  the  teachers  agree  that  a  longer  stay  in 
the  school  would  convey  no  benefit  to  the  pupil,  a  so- 
called  Leaving  Certificate  is  granted  which  is  indeed  to 
be  kept  distinct  from  the  Graduating  Certificate,  but 
implies  no  disgrace. 

Both  certificates,  however, — and  this  is  a  character- 
istic feature  of  this  system — are  accompanied  by  a 
detailed  statement  of  the  pupil's  proficiency  in  the 
various  branches  of  instruction.  It  is  plainly  stated 
on  the  diploma  which  the  graduates  receive,  that  such 
a  report  is  sent  to  the  parents  and  that  a  copy  of  it  is 


STANDING    OF   PUPILS  55 

kept  on  record  at  the  office  of  the  school.     On  the  Leav- 
ing Certificates,  this  report  is  written  out  directly. 

Again  it  is  thought  best  to  quote  some  of  these  re- 
ports in  full,  to  illustrate  their  meaning  and  character. 

(1)  Standing  of (girl  of  fifteen  years).  Gradu- 
ated from  this  school  (date)  — . 

Character : — A  girl  of  good  talent  and  strong  charac- 
ter. Excellent  in  thought,  with  natural  and  fluent 
expression.  Self-possessed  to  an  unusual  degree,  and 
eager  to  do  the  right  thing  under  any  circumstances. 
Of  noble  aspirations,  inclining  strongly  to  the  artistic 
conception  of  life  and  nature. 

English : — Originality  and  accuracy  characterize  her 
work.  A  good  thinker.  Her  reading  is  excellent,  her 
grammar  good,  and  her  compositions  reveal  the  clear- 
ness of  her  reasoning,  her  power  of  adequate  expression, 
and  the  genuineness  of  her  feelings. 

Mathematics. — In  arithmetic  she  has  done  very  good 
work.  In  Geometry,  her  work  was  excellent,  remark- 
able as  well  for  clearness  of  thought  as  for  accuracy  and 
neatness  of  execution.     Her  work  in  algebra  was  good. 

History  {national  and  universal): — Her  interest  in 
the  study  was  very  great  and  her  work  conscientious 
and  successful. 

Geography. — General  hold  of  the  work  strong  ;  grasps 
easily  relations,  causes,  etc.  Especially  good  in  map- 
drawing. 

Elementary  natural  science. — HaviDg  attended  this 
school  only  for  about  two  years,  she  has  not  finished 
the  entire  course,  but  her  work  has  been  uniformly 
very  good. 

Art  work. — At  the  head  of  her  class  in  art  work  ;  she 


56  CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

possesses  decided  talent,  and  with  her  conscientious 
efforts,  has  accomplished  excellent  results. 

Manual  work : — Does  not  do  well  the  practical  part 
of  the  work  ;  is  more  interested  in  the  artistic  side. 
Has,  however,  always  been  painstaking. 

German. — She  has  shown  considerable  interest  in  the 
study,  and  made  good  progress.  She  has  acquired  a 
fair  ability  of  reading  and  translating  easy  German 
prose. 

Vocal  music. — Has  done  conscientious  work,  and  has 
taken  great  interest  in  music,  though  at  first  she  did 
not  like  the  study.     Has  a  soprano  voice. 

Gymnastics. — Good. 

Remarks.—  Entered  VI  Grade,  October  6,  189-. 

Teachers'  signatures .  Sujft. 


(2)  Standing  of (girl  of  18).     Graduated  from 

this  school  (date)  — . 

Character. — A  faithful  and  conscientious  girl  of  fair 
intelligence.  She  has  a  remarkable  strength  of  will 
which  needs  guidance.  She  is  most  easily  influenced 
by  kindness  while  she  will  resent  unsympathetic  treat- 
ment. Good,  honest,  and  of  sterling  character.  Rather 
intense  than  quick.     A  loving  nature,  of  strong  feelings. 

English.— She  has  done  generally  satisfactory  work. 
A  fair  reader.  Grammatically  correct.  A  good  thinker, 
though  weak  in  expression. 

Mathematics. — She  has  done  very  good  and  conscien- 
tious work  in  arithmetic.  In  geometry,  she  did  not 
exhibit  great  originality  of  thinking,  but  has  acquired 
a  fair  understanding  of  the  subject.  Did  fair  work  in 
algebra. 


STANDING    OF    PUPILS  57 

History  (national  and  universal). — Did  faithful  work 
with  fair  success ;  her  memory  is  stronger  than  her 
imagination,  and  she  has  therefore  not  acquired  a  very 
deep  insight  into  historic  problems,  though  her  knowl- 
edge of  facts  is  satisfactory. 

Geography. — Did  satisfactory  work  on  the  side  of 
memory  power. 

Elementary  natural  science. — Having  entered  only 
two  years  ago,  she  has  not  finished  the  entire  course  in 
science,  but  the  work  which  she  has  done  was  good. 

Art  work. — Very  steady  at  her  work,  and  though  she 
possesses  but  little  talent  for  art,  she  has  achieved  fair 
to  good  results. 

Manual  work. — Can  do  the  practical  part  of  the  work 
as  directed.  Has  shown  taste  for  millinery.  Greatly 
improved  in  all  her  sewing  since  last  year. 

German. — She  has  shown  interest  in  the  study  and 
done  good  work ;  she  is  able  to  read  and  translate  easy 
German  prose. 

Vocal  music. — Has  shown  a  fair  degree  of  interest  in 
music.     She  sings  soprano,  but  has  not  a  strong  voice. 

Gyimiastics. — Good. 

Remarks. — Entered  September,  189-,  as  a  pupil  of 

VII    Grade.     Graduate   of public   school,  June. 

189-.  p't. 

Teachers'  signatures . 


(3)  Standing  of (girl  of  1(3).     Graduated  from 

this  school  (date)  — . 

Character. — A  girl  not  easily  understood  by  all.  A 
most  unselfish  nature,  with  strong  sympathies  for  right 
and  justice.     Greatly  hampered  by  her  weak  expression, 


58  CHILD    STUDY     FOR    SCHOOLS 

which  often  hides  very  strong  and  original  thought. 
Her  strength  is  developed  in  the  line  of  ethics  and  his- 
tory rather  than  in  matters  of  fact  and  practical  life. 
Emotional  and  impulsive. 

English. — Has  done  very  good  work  in  all  branches 
of  English  instruction,  though  not  possessing  the  power 
of  fluent  expression.  A  good  reader.  Shows  power 
in  interpreting  the  thought  of  others. 

Mathematics. — Although  without  much  talent  for 
mathematics,  she  has  done  her  work  faithfully  and  has 
made  fair  progress  in  it. 

History  (national  and  universal). — She  has  shown 
very  great  interest  in  the  study  and  done  excellent  work 
in  it.  She  has  a  very  vivid  imagination  and  a  clear  in- 
sight into  some  of  the  large  historic  questions ;  her 
emotions  are  easily  stirred  and  her  sympathies  are 
always  on  the  right  side. 

Geography. — Progress  very  satisfactory  ;  has  grown 
decidedly,  and  possesses  a  good  foundation  in  the  work. 

Elementary  natural  science. — She  has  finished  the 
course  in  a  painstaking  manner,  though  her  work  has 
not  been  in  every  way  satisfactory. 

Art  ivorh. — Has  very  little  patience  for  careful  work 
in  art,  and  her  results  have  therefore  been  fair  only. 

>Manual  work. — Has  very  little  manual  ability,  but 
spares  no  efforts  to  carry  out  the  work  as  well  as  she 
can. 

German. — She  has  shown  interest  in  the  study  and 

made  satisfactory   progress.     She  has  acquired   a  fair 

ability  of  reading  and  translating  easy  German  prose. 

Vocal  music. — She   has  done  conscientious  work  in 


STANDING    OF    PUPILS  59 

music.     She    sings    soprano    with    great    confidence, 
though  her  voice  is  hetter  adapted  for  the  contralto. 

Gymnastics. — Good. 

Remarks. — Entered  VI  Grade  September,  189-. 

Teachers'  signature .  Sup't. 


(4)  Standing  of (boy  of  16).     Graduated  from 

this  school  (date)  — . 

Character. — A  boy  of  sound  moral  character  ;  not 
very  intellectual,  but  painstaking  and  conscientious. 
Will  always  do  the  best  he  can.  Good-natured  and  of 
a  sunny  temperament,  though  somewhat  sensitive. 

English. — Naturally  deficient  in  power  of  expression, 
but  his  work  shows  care  and   thought.     A  fair  reader. 

Mathematics. — Has  completed  the  course  in  arithme- 
tic and  is  fairly  quick  and  accurate  with  figures.  He 
went  through  a  course  in  inventional  geometry  and 
mensuration ;  his  work  was  faithful,  without  any  sign 
of  marked  ability.  He  studied  algebra,  up  to  and 
partly  including  quadratics.     His  work  was  fair. 

History  {national  ami  universal). — He  has  studied 
United  States,  ancient,  and  medieval  history.  Has 
shown  a  fair  understanding  and  considerable  interest 
in  the  work  ;  is  better  on  the  side  of  memory  for  facts 
than  on  the  side  of  reasoning. 

Geography. — Progress  very  satisfactory.  Grasps  easily 
relations  and  geographical  principles. 

Elementary  natural  science. — He  has  completed  the 
course  satisfactorily.  His  work  has  been  good  through- 
out. 

Art  work. — Has  hardly  any  talent  for  art,  but  has 
done  satisfactory  work  in  drawing  and  modeling. 


60  CHILD   STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

Manual  work. — He  is  capable  of  doing  fair  work. 
Has  developed  no  talent  for  mechanical  drawing,  al- 
though quite  interested  in  it.  In  shop  work  he  is  best 
at  the  lathe  in  brass-turning. 

German. — He  has  done  some  work  in  German,  mainly 
translation  of  easy  prose.  His  interest  in  the  study  and 
his  progress  in  it  were  not  very  great. 

Vocal  music. — Sings  a  fair  alto,  but  his  voice  is  not 
strong. 

Gymnastics. — Very  good. 

Remarks. — Entered  V  Grade  February,  189-. 

Teachers'  signatures, .  SupH. 


(5)  Standing  of (boy  of  15).     Graduated  from 

this  school  (date  follows). 

Character. — A  very  lovable,  earnest,  intelligent,  and 
faithful  boy  with  a  strong  sen^e  of  duty  and  helpful- 
ness ;  has  overcome  many  difficulties  by  his  persistent 
efforts.  His  disposition  is  kind,  and  his  temperament 
cheerful. 

English. — His  work  has  been  faithful  and  painstak- 
ing, and  his  results  were  satisfactory.  He  shows  some 
originality^,  but  lacks  a  cultured  vocabulary. 

Mathematics. — He  took  great  interest  and  showed 
good  understanding  of  the  work. 

History  {national  and  imiversal). — He  made  satis- 
factory progress. 

Geography. — Same  as  in  history. 

Elementary  natural  science. — He  has  finished  the 
work  of  the  course  in  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  manner. 
His  interest  deserves  special  recognition. 

Art   work. — Has  shown  great  interest  and  love  for 


STANDING    OF    PUPILS  61 

art,  especially  modeling.  lie  works  rapidly  and  inde- 
pendently, usually  deciding  about  his  advance  work 
before  that  on  hand  is  complete,  that  no  time  may  be 
lost.  In  drawing  his  work  shows  strength  and  bold- 
ness.    He  is  a  most  promising  pupil. 

Manual  work. — He  has  done  excellent  and  remark- 
ably intelligent  work  both  in  mechanical  drawing  and 
in  shop  work.  lie  is  careful  in  manipulation  and  accu- 
rate in  construction. 

German. — He  speaks  the  language  fluently  and  has  a 
fair  knowledge  of  the  grammar.  He  is  fond  of  read- 
ing German. 

Vocal  music. — He  has  a  good  understanding  of  the 
subject  as  it  has  been  presented.  He  has  at  present  an 
alto  voice  of  good  quality,  though  not  strong.  He  reads 
readily. 

Gymnastics. — Good. 

Remarks. — Born  Sept.  10,  188-,  entered  kindergar- 
ten 188-.  Has  given  part  of  leisure  time  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  school  life,  to  work  in  support  of  the 
family  to  whom  he  has  always  been  a  diligent,  willing, 
and  cheerful  helper. 

Teachers'  signatures, .  Sup*t. 


(6)  Standing  of (boy  of  15  years).     Graduated 

from  this  school  (date)  — . 

Character. — A  good  boy,  thoroughly  honest  and  re- 
liable. His  principal  fault  is  a  certain  weakness  which 
makes  him  too  easily  influenced  by  others,  and  which 
shows  itself  also  in  some  lack  of  persistent  effort.  He 
is,  however,  gaining   strength   in   this  direction.     His 


02  CHILD    STUDY     FOR    SCHOOLS 

intellectual  ability  is  fair,  better  on  the  mathematical 
than  on  the  literary  side. 

English. — He  has  no  pronounced  linguistic  faculties, 
but  has  greatly  improved  of  late.  He  now  possesses 
the  power  to  use  clear  and  direct  language,  and  to  ex- 
press his  thoughts  with  some  readiness.  Reads  much 
and  well. 

Mathematics. — He  has  shown  interest  and  done  good 
and  creditable  work. 

History  {national  and  universal). — His  work  was 
fair. 

Geography. — Same  as  in  history. 

Elementary  natural  science. — His  work  has  been 
entirely  satisfactory,  and  his  interest  in  science  has  been 
marked. 

Art  work. — Has  not  shown  marked  ability,  though 
there  are  some  indications  that  he  has  latent  power. 
He  usually  works  slowly  and  with  too  little  vigor.  To 
a  new  medium  he  does  not  readily  adapt  himself,  but 
with  familiar  material  he  is  more  successful. 

Manual  icork. — He  always  took  a  deep  interest  and 
did  good  work  both  in  mechanical  drawing  and  in  work 
instruction.  He  was,  however,  most  successful  in 
mechanical  drawing  and  did  very  careful  and  highly 
creditable  work  in  this  branch. 

German. — He  showed  a  good  understanding  of  the 
authors  read.  He  possess 3S  a  very  good,  practical 
knowledge  of  the  language  and  is  fairly  well  grounded 
in  grammar. 

He  took  an  elementary  course  in  Latin  and  did  fair 
work  in  it. 

Vocal  music. — He  understands  the  subject  as  it  has 


STANDING   OF   PUPILS  63 

been  presented.     For  about  two  years  he  has  sung  alto. 
His  voice  is  pleasant  but  not  strong. 

Gymnastics. — Very  good. 

Remarks. — Entered  Fourth  Grade  October,  189-. 

Teachers'  signature, .  Sup't. 

(7)  Standing  of (boy  of  15  years).     Graduated 

from  this  school  (date)  — . 

Character. — A  boy  of  great  intellectuality,  many- 
sided,  full  of  life,  a  natural  leader.  Combines  in  a 
peculiar  manner  literary,  scientific,  and  artistic  facul- 
ties. He  is  good  hearted,  but  somewhat  frivolous,  and 
vacillating  in  his  efforts.  His  iniluence  is  not  always 
for  the  good. 

English. — Has  accomplished  original  and  excellent 
work.  Possesses  the  faculty  of  expression  in  an  unusual 
degree.     Has  keen  appreciation  of  literary  value. 

Mathematics. — He  did  very  good  work  and  often  dis- 
played original  thought. 

History  (national  and  universal). — He  took  great  in- 
terest in  the  study  aud  showed  especially  good  ability  in 
discussion. 

Geography. — Good. 

Elementary  natural  science. — He  has  finished  the 
course  with  much  credit  to  himself.  He  is  particularly 
interested  in  this  work,  and  devoted  a  great  deal  of  his 
leisure  time  to  independent  study.  For  several  years 
he  has  been  making  collections. 

Art  work. — Though  he  possesses  manual  skill  and 
has  in  many  ways  given  evidence  of  ability  in  artistic 
production,  his  actual  work  in  the   class-room   has  of 


64  CHILD    STUDY    I- OR   SCHOOLS 

late  been  a  disappointment.  He  lacked  application  and 
earnestness. 

Manual  work. — He  did  earnest  and  faithful  work  and 
tried  hi3  utmost  to  keep  up  with  his  class;  but  his 
ability  for  manual  production  is  limited.  He  did  some- 
what better  in  shopwork  than  in  mechanical  drawing. 

German. — His  work  was  very  good,  both  in  grammar 
and  in  literature. 

In  Latin  he  lacked  interest  and  consequently  did 
only  fair  work. 

Vocal  music  — lie  has  special  talent  in  this  direction. 
He  reads  easily,  and  for  several  years  has  carried  the 
soprano  or  alto  part  as  he  was  needed.  He  has  the 
qualities  which  would  enable  him  to  become  a  musical 
director  if,  when  older,  he  should  desire  to  fit  himself 
for  the  work. 

Gymnastics. — Very  good. 

Remarks. — Entered  September,  188-. 

Teachers'  signatures, .  Svp't. 


(8)  Standing  of (girl  of  16  years).     Graduated 

from  this  school  (date)  — . 

Character. — A  very  faithful,  lovable  child,  though 
not  strong  in  reasoning  power.  Delicate  physically. 
In  spite  of  her  weakness,  she  has  applied  herself  with 
great  energy  and  steadiness  to  all  her  work.  Her 
strength  lies  especially  in  mechanical  execution  ;  she  is 
a  model  of  neatness.  Somewhat  timid  and  retiring, 
but  capable  of  strong  feelings. 

English.— She  does  not  belong  to  the  linguistic  class 
of  pupils.     In  fact,  she  has    little   language  faculty, 


STANDING    OF    PUPILS  65 

but  uses  fairly  correct  English  and  is  painstaking  in 
expression. 

Mathematics. — Fair.  Her  mind  is  not  capable  of 
doing  much  mathematical  reasoning. 

History  {national  and  universal). — Fair. 

Geography.  — Fair. 

Elementary  natural  science. — On  the  biological  side 
her  interest  has  been  marked,  and  her  results  good. 
She  is  weak  on  the  mathematical  side  of  the  work. 

Art  work. — Has  shown  unusual  abilities  in  certain 
directions.  Her  modeling  has  been  good  ;  her  drawings 
are  strikingly  neat  and  interesting,  though  they  are 
frequently  faulty  in  proportion.  Is  imitative,  but  not 
creative. 

Manual  work. — She  has  done  very  conscientious  work. 
Has  little  idea  of  style,  and  no  eye  for  color  combina- 
tion. She  will  always  do  well  with  the  technical  part 
of  the  work,  though  she  has  no  independent  ideas. 

German.— Has  worked  faithfully,  but  is  deficient  in 
those  parts  of  the  subject  which  require  a  clear  compre- 
hension of  the  meaning  of  the  rules,  and  reasoning 
power. 

Vorctl  music. — She  has  a  soprano  voice  of  good  quality 
and  reads  music  of  ordinary  difficulty. 

Gymnastics. — (Jood. 

/'emarks. — Entered  second  grade  L88-. 

Teacher*'  signatures .  <7. 


(9)  Standing-  of (boy  of  L6  years).     Graduated 

from  this  school  (date)  — . 

Character. — A  somewhat  peculiar  boy  of  varying 
moods,  who  has,  however,   made  rapid  strides    toward 


CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

developing  gentlemanly  traits.  His  intelligence  is 
rather  limited  ;  he  has  been  most  successful  in  the 
objective  and  manual  part  of  the  work. 

English. — His  work  is  extremely  weak — he  is  dis- 
tinctly non-literary.  When  he  is  interested  in  his  sub- 
ject he  can  make  himself  at  least  understood,  and  some- 
times his  turn  of  phrase  is  not  unhappy  ;  but  if  his 
subject  bores  him — is  literary — he  writes  as  lamentable 
English  as  one  need  see. 

Mathematics. — His  work  in  this  subject  is  fair. 

History  {national  and  universal)  and  geography. — 
He  showed  interest  in  the  work,  and  completed  the 
course  in  a  satisfactory  manner. 

Elementary  natural  science. — He  has  covered  the 
course  with  credit  to  himself.  His  interest  and  under- 
standing are  both  deserving  of  praise. 

Art  work. — Has  made  great  progress,  and  has  im- 
proved greatly  in  his  general  attitude  in  class.  In 
drawing,  fair  sense  of  construction.  Lacks  fineness  of 
perception. 

Manual  work. — He  was  interested  in  this  department 
and  has  done  good  work,  especially  in  shop  work.  He 
took  a  deep  interest  in  forging.  In  execution  he  is  good 
except  in  the  details  of  the  work,  which  to  him  do  not 
seem  as  important  as  they  ought. 

German. — His  previous  knowledge  of  the   language 
enabled  him  to  accomplish  the  work  with  great  ease. 
Gymnastics. — Did  fair  work. 

Remarks. — Entered  our  kindergarten  October  3, 
188  . 

Teachers'  signatures, .  Sup't. 


LEAVING    CERTIFICATE 
SPECIMEN    OF   A    LEAVING    CERTIFICATE 

This  is  to  certify  that (girl  of  16  years),  has 

been  a  pupil  of  this  school  since  Sept.  11,  189-.  hav- 
ing attended  the  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth  grades. 

This  certificate  is  granted  to  her  on  leaving  the  eighth 
grade  of  the  school,  in  recognition  of  her  faithful  work. 

Final  Report 

.  Character. — Weak  in  general  knowledge  and  on  the 
reasoning  side,  though  she  has  a  certain  amount  of 
literary  individuality  and  originality.  She  combines 
gentleness  and  depth  of  feeling  with  somewhat  unpol- 
ished manners.  On  the  whole,  a  reliable  and  interest- 
ing girl. 

English. — She  has  a  decided  literary  bent — she  wants 
to  read — she  wants  to  write — she  turns  instinctively  to 
good  poems,  essays  and  novels  ;  but  her  own  expression 
is  heavy,  unwieldy,  and  complicated.  She  has  made 
strides  this  last  year  and  if  she  tries  can  eventually 
write  better  than  the  average  girl. 

Mathematics. — Her  work  in  this  subject  was  fair. 

History  and  geography. — She  showed  interest  in  the 
work  and  completed  the  course  in  a  satisfactory  manner. 

Elementary  natural  science. — Her  work  has  been 
faithfully  performed  to  the  best  of  her  ability,  but  her 
memory  and  power  of  reasoning  in  natural  science  are 
little  developed. 

Art  work. — Fair  in  work,  but  has  no  talent  for  art. 
In  drawing  she  has  fair  ability.     Work  was  very  uneven. 

Manual  work. — Has  to  fight  hard  against  a  tendency 
to  do  careless  and  even  slovenly  work.  Her  results 
show  that  she  has  been  pretty  successful.  On  the  whole, 
her  work  is  very  satisfactory. 


68  CHILD    STUDY    FOR    SCHOOLS 

Mechanical  drawing. — Has  done  good  work  in  me- 
chanical drawing,  and  works  quite  fast  and  accurately. 
She  was  deeply  interested  in  the  factory  excursions. 

Foreign  languages. — Her  progress  in  German  has 
been  retarded  by  the  fact  that  a  majority  of  the  class 
were  farther  advanced  than  she,  and  consequently  the 
work  has  been  somewhat  beyond  her  ability.  Latin. — 
Knows  the  paradigms  fairly  well.  Rather  weak  in 
translation. 

Gymnastics. — Worked  faithfully,  and  did  well  in 
general. 

Teachers'  signatures .  Sup't. 


This  review  of  practical  child  study  in  its  applica- 
tions to  the  special  needs  of  the  school  has  been  given 
with  all  the  hesitancy  which  is  the  natural  result  of  the 
consciousness  that  all  this  is  experimental,  and  perhaps 
crude  in  detail  :  yet  also  with  the  gratifying  sense  of 
approximate  success  in  at  least  one  institution.  The 
system  has  worked  well,  and  has  established  most  pleas- 
ant relations  between  the  pupils,  their  parents,  and  the 
school.  It  is  here  presented  with  the  hope  that  its- 
merits  may  be  tested  elsewhere. 

The  writer  may  be  permitted  to  state  a  few  general 
conclusions,  tentatively,  which  have  presented  them- 
selves to  him  as  a  result  of  this  work. 

First. — There  seems  to  be  sufficient  evidence  to  show 
that  in  schools  individual  child  study  is  necessary. 

Second.— Thai  a  broad  and  generous  course  of  study,, 
including  all  the  typical  activities  of  the  human  mind,, 
is  in  itself  a  far-reachiDg  test  of  individual  ability. 

Third. — That  observations  by  several  specialist  teach- 


GENERAL     CONCLUSIONS  G9 

ers  on  the  same  child,  especially  if  they  are  extended 
over  a  series  of  consecutive  years,  are  particularly  val- 
uable for  securing  a  just  appreciation  of  a  child's  indi- 
viduality. 

Fourth. — That  admissions,  reports,  promotions,  and 
graduations,  can  be  put  on  a  rational  basis,  without  re- 
sorting to  a  formal  system  of  marks. 

Fifth. — That  the  cooperation  of  school  physicians 
with  the  school  authorities  will  in  many  instances  pre- 
vent the  development,  or  check  the  progress  of  disease. 

Sixth. — That  moral  and  intellectual  variations  in  a 
child  are  often  symptomatic  of  physical  defects  and 
changes. 

Seventh. — That  pupils  who  are  in  any  way  abnormal 
so  that  they  need  special  treatment  or  may  endanger 
the  moral  or  intellectual  health  of  a  class,  particularly 
"stutterers,  emotional  prodigals  and  nervous  defec- 
tives "*  should  be  removed  from  the  regular  classes. 

But  the  main  result  of  this  experiment  is  the  cer- 
tainty that  all  depends  upon  the  spirit  in  which  the 
work  is  undertaken.  Pedagogy,  while  having  its  scien- 
tific side,  is,  as  has  been  said  in  the  beginning,  in  its 
practical  aspect  an  art,  and  it  partakes  of  religious 
fervor  and  idealism.  As  Felix  Adler  put  it  on  some 
occasion  :  Every  religion  became  a  powerful  influence 
through  the  peculiar  form  in  which  it  personified  a 
working  idea,  an  ideal,  in  which  it  symbolized  the 
eternal.  The  child  is  such  an  embodiment  of  an  ideal, 
— it  is  the  symbol  of  eternal  youth,  and  hope,  and 
future  salvation.     In  it,  all  our  highest  aspirations  and 

*The  "Suggestibility  of  Children",  by  Maurice  H.  small- 
Seminary-  December,  l{ 


TO  CHILD   STUDY   FOR   SCHOOLS 

expectations  center,  as  through  ever  present  childhood 
the  hope  of  a  perfect  humanity  is  gradually  becoming 
realized.     Pedagogy  is  an  art ;  yea,  even  a  sacred  art. 

Sympathy  and  love  are  the  keys  that  unlock  the 
child's  soul  to  us.  He  who  explores  the  child- 
kingdom  steps  on  holy  ground.  We  must  take  off  our 
shoes,  spiritually  speaking,  before  we  enter  here,  for 
precious  mysteries,  great  inspirations,  and  sacred  revela- 
tions await  us.  True,  the  work  must  be  undertaken  in 
a  scientific  spirit,  but  not  in  the  sense  that  the  child 
is  a  combination  of  material  forces  that  can  be  taken 
apart  mechanically.  We  cannot  dissect  a  child's  inner 
life,  as  we  can  its  dead  body. 

The  child  is  a  living,  sensitive  instrument,  from 
whose  delicate  strings  only  the  caressing  fingers  of 
the  inspired  master  can  produce  a  full  harmony.  The 
child  will  show  itself  at  its  best  only  when  it  becomes 
one  with  us  in  love,  and  sympathy,  and  trust.  Do  not 
let  us  think  that  by  making  tests-,  measurements,  and 
observations,  by  recording  "  facts"  and  writing  up  lists 
and  papers,  by  reporting  interesting  occurrences  and 
the  like  with  the  zeal  of  the  experimenter  and  statis- 
tician, we  have  done  our  share  and  have  solved  the 
problem  of  methods  in  child  study.  We  must  approach 
the  child  with  tenderness  and  reverence  ;  we  must  live 
with  it  and  make  it  a  part  of  our  own  life,  if  we  desire 
to  understand  it.  If  I  were  to  express  the  fundamental 
principle  of  child  study  in  one  sentence,  it  would  be 
this  :  "  Lore  the  child,  and  it  will  reveal  itself  unto 
you  !  " 


STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL, 

UOS  RHCELiES,  CAL. 


wmm 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  782  752    o 


